Prentiss Family Values
by Lanierose442
Summary: The story of how love can change a person. JJ and Emily centric, a lot of fluff, love, family and maybe smut if I can fit it in. AU. Recently changed the name and the way the story moves. Suggestions and critiques always welcome! Thank y'all for the support so far. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is an AU between JJ and Emily. Set after s.6 e.18 "Lauren." Also there is a lot of Italian in this fic, I only ever spoke some Italian with my Nonna, so if you speak the language well, I apologize. Anything I didn't know I had to translate online.**

**This will eventually be a multi fic, it will get smutty later, thus the M rating. Rate, review, whatever. Let me know what y'all think!**

**Translations:**

**French: "Hello Mister Caron. A Danish please, any kind-surprise me!"**

"**One moment please."**

**Italian: "You look so much like her, my beautiful daughter. I'm honored to be here today, I know she'd be so proud of the woman you've become."**

**Afghanistan 2011**

"_Will! I won't have this conversation again! Not only do I know that I'm doing important work here, I didn't even have a choice in the matter." JJ was at her breaking point emotionally, between being stuck in Afghanistan, having a miscarriage and nearly losing Emily, her best friend, JJ couldn't deal with her already crumbling relationship. "Will you just tell Henry I love him? And that I'll video chat soon?"_

"_Of course I will but Jen-"after she got an affirmative JJ wasn't interested in a circular argument, she'd already hung up. She resists the urge to smash the satellite phone into the ground for just a moment of peace._

"_When will this shit show stop?!" She mutters to herself as she gears up for the day. _

_**Paris-**_

"_Bonjour Monsieur Caron. Un danois s'il vous plaît. N'importe quelle sorte de surprise!" The phone Emily uses for emergency contact with JJ begins to ring. With worry she looks at the baker "Un instant s'il vous plaît"_

"_JJ? Are you okay?"_

_On the other line the brunette hears a shaky sigh._

"_No Em, I'm not. I can't do this anymore."_

"_Do what Jayje? Talk to me. What's going on?"_

"_Emily I can't keep up this fight with Will I can't be okay and be with him and I certainly can't be okay and be me…" JJ pauses trying to find the right words, finally she just decides to go for it, "without you. Emily you're my best friend we have gone to the ends of the earth to protect each other. How can I be okay like this? Will and I only have one thing keeping us together, Henry. I just don't know how to destroy my family without destroying my son. But I can't breathe without you. I can't breathe with Will. He's so suffocating. Emily help me. Bring the breath back to my body, Em. My lungs are burning a-and I think I love you" by the time JJ is done she is crying, and Emily can hear her hyperventilating on the other line._

"_JJ take a couple deep breaths, okay?" Emily can hear JJ trying to control her breathing. "Good. Great job Jayje. I cannot have this conversation over the phone. Meet me in Stockholm, at the Grand Hôtel in 1 week. Room 534."_

"_I'll be there." Emily hangs up and pays for her breakfast and throws the phone away on her way out. Emily is terrified. She doesn't know when she began to fall in love with the blond, but now, all she knows is that she will do anything to make her happy._

_**Stockholm, Sweden. 1 week later**_

_Emily has been pacing around the hotel suite for nearly 2 hours. Though they never dictated a time, Emily was sure JJ would be here by now. At the 2-hour 15 minute mark, she hears the click of the room door lock being accessed. Emily turns around right as JJ walks in. "Jennifer…" Emily says so breathlessly and quote she barely believes it came from her. The blond looks tired and the life that was once behind her eyes is gone._

"_Emily…" JJ's tone reflects the brunettes but for a wildly different reason. Emily on the other hand looks beautiful. Her hair is falling to her shoulders, perfectly curled. Her makeup is flawless and natural looking, and she is wearing what JJ assumes is designer clothing. JJ nearly runs into the welcoming embrace of Emily. After a few moments, JJ pulls back with a slight smile, "You know it's totally unfair that I show up looking like hell on wheels and you look like-like a goddess!"_

_Emily laughs and runs a hand down JJ's cheek, "Jennifer, you could not look bad if you wanted to." Emily runs her hand down JJ's face, "I missed you… cheetobreath." Emily smiles and JJ's eyes soften to what they used to be, the coldness behind them evaporating._

"_Emily, Will broke up with me." They are both silent for a moment._

"_I'm so sorry Jayje." Emily strokes JJ's hair. _

"_Don't be. It's what we both wanted. He was just strong enough to do it first." Cerulean blue eyes meet warm chocolate brown eyes. They bore into each other until they both got lost in the moment. All at once blue eyes filled with tears and sorrow. "Emily, you can't leave again. I've been dismissed from my state department duties, with you gone and my experience, Hotch offered me a profiling position. I'm going to take it and then I will make it my mission to hunt him down and end his reign of terror on so many families, including our family. Do you hear me? You are not allowed to leave again. Not now, not ever. I love you Emily Prentiss, okay? I love you. So once I get this sorted, you come back to me, okay? You get to come back and be even more loved than before." Emily had held her composer for the most part but then, being held, feeling love she had never felt before, she let out a sob, and then she couldn't stop._

_When she did stop her and JJ were still holding each other, sitting on the floor, not having made it past the suite entrance. "I missed all of you guys so much. I've never been a part of such a family unit. JJ, I love you. I promise, once I can come home, I will never leave you again. Never."_

_**BAU Bullpen FBI, Quantico, Virginia 3 months later-**_

"_I want all of you to go home and get some rest, we'll deal with reports tomorrow after the committee is caught up. Emily, can I see you in my office?" Emily gives a curt nod and follows him up the steps. Hotch shuts the door behind Emily and moves to sit behind his desk, motioning for Emily to sit adjacent to him. "We've missed you, and I cannot imagine what your former coworkers must be going through. They thought you were dead, I'm not going to sugar-coat it: it's going to be an easy reintegration, but this team needs you Emily. This ragtag family needs you."_

"_Hotch, I- I don't know if I can come back to work here. I took on Doyle alone because this is the first real family I have ever had. He wanted to hurt me by hurting you guys. I left because in the process of trying to keep you safe, I hurt you anyway. I don't know if I could ever live with myself if any of you got hurt because of me. I don't trust myself with you guys right now. Can I think about it?" Emily was talking fast, she was nervous, all she wanted this family, she couldn't lose them over a little mental instability._

"_No." Hotch said, monotone._

_Emily was thoroughly shocked, "Excuse me, sir?"_

"_Emily, I said no, you may not think about it. If you do, your own insecurities will run you away from us again. This team thought you died. They mourned for you. I did their grief counseling. This team has not been whole since Doyle. He tore this family apart. Not you. You deserve this team and this weird family," He actually gave one of his rare smiles, "We need you as much as you need us. Will it be easy? No, your friends are hurt, but I took the responsibility for your disappearance and I will stand by that with them. But will it be worth it? I'd stake my job on it being worth all the future heart ache."_

_Emily was speechless, something that was happening more and more these days. "Yes sir, I'll report her first thing next Monday." Hotch gave a curt nod and the brunette woman excused herself._

**May 18, 2013-**

"Emmy! Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?!" Jennifer asked walking into the dressing room.

"Every day, il mio amore" Emily moved to stop the hairdresser and stood and kissed her future wife. "Now, isn't it bad luck or something to see the bride on her wedding day?" The brunette smirked at the lively blonde.

"Not when the other bride demands it… and may or may not be already 6 mimosas in," they both laughed when Penelope barged in.

"Jennifer Jareau! I literally left the room to pee and then POOF! You were gone and I was frantic and stupid Derek had explicit instructions to not you in here, but he's too busy trying to sex up Emily's hot Italian cousin and-"

Emily stepped forward to calm her friend, once she was breathing again Emily spoke, "He's going after Sophia? God, what an idiot, everyone knows Sophia is totally not into guys like him, honestly I think Reid would have a pretty good shot with her." Garcia looked genuinely shocked at that statement, but before she could ask any follow-up's Emily continued, "Now, can you pretty please get Jen back to her dressing room, and sober her up?" Penelope nods, "Good and no more drinks until the reception please?" another nod, "We don't want pretty JJ ruining the Prentiss name now do we?" Pen shakes her head, "Mother is already under a lot pressure even though she insisted on the spectacle wedding." That last part was more to frustration at her Mother than an actual point. "Okay, go, take care of her and help her get to the end of that isle for me okay?"

Garcia mocks a salute, "Aye-aye captain. Come on Jen let's g- Uh, Em?" Emily now back in front of her stylist looks at a very puzzled blond.

"What is it Garcia?"

"She's gone." Now, Garcia expected more of a reaction but Emily just pulled out her phone and began to play a game.

"Well Pen, hide and go seek. It's her favorite drunk game. Based on how long hair and makeup should take I'd say you have 15 minutes to find her." Garcia was frozen in bewilderment, "14 minutes!" the brunette scolded lightly just enough to remind Penelope time was of the essence.

After Emily was fully ready there was a light tap at her door, "Come in!" she hollered putting in her second earring. Expecting one of her friends, she was shocked to see both her parents walking in with a smile she rarely saw on either of them, let alone on both. "Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?"

"Well Emily, it is our only daughter's wedding. Edward and I wanted to bring you a gift." Elizabeth frowns for a moment. "Oh, Edward she already has her earrings and necklace picked out. I told you to go with the bracelet."

"Lizzie, I know what you told me, but something tells me she'll want these more."

JJ was now fully sober and fully dressed. Her mother was at her feet rearranging the train of her gown. "Honey, your dress is beautiful, I just wish you had kept the original skirt."

The blond groaned at her mother, a headache forming from her previous alcohol consumption. "Mom, you know me, you know I could never pull off a princess gown." Sandy Jareau laughed and kept adjusting what used to be her own wedding gown.

Emily opened the small jewelry box her father offered her. She nearly cried when she saw its contents. Inside was her paternal grandmother's favorite jewelry set, "This was Nonna Vera's favorite pearl set…" She got as far as identifying the items before going speechless. After admiring the heirloom, she looked to her mother, "Dad was right, I'd prefer these over the hope diamond any day." her mother laughed. "Thank you so much dad. This means… so much to me."

"I know Emmy, she loved you with all her heart. When we first got assigned to Italy, I think that was the only time I saw my mother literally jump with joy. **Assomigil tanto a lei, mia bellissima figlia. Sono onorato di essere qui oggi, so che sarebbe cosi'orgogliosa della donna che sei diventato.***" Edward Prentiss had always been a man of many words, but not so many emotions, but today he cried tears of joy for the happiness of his daughter.

Next Elizabeth stepped up, "Oh my dear, don't cry, you'll ruin your makeup." Emily chuckled at the usual pompous manner of her mother, but on her wedding day there was no malous, nor did it matter to Emily if there was. "Now, here is from my side of the family." The older brunette handed Emily a crystal box. Emily lifted the hand-crafted lid, and gasped. It was her great great grandmother's hair comb. A silver comb with hand placed diamonds and opals. She had only seen this in portraits of her ancestors. Emily was overwhelmed with the meaning behind this: Elizabeth Prentiss was worse than her husband with verbalizing her emotions, but giving her this family heirloom meant that she loved Emily, she loved her daughter for who she was, no matter who the younger brunette loved or how she loved, that meant nothing to the politician, all she could do was love her daughter no matter what. Elizabeth wished she had been able to express that sooner. Emily pulled both her parents into an unexpected hug.

Emily was first to be walked down the aisle. There were far more people there than she would have wanted, but her best friend was her best man, she looked at him, in his suit all dressed up for her and the love of her life. and felt surer that this was the right choice than any other thing she has done in her whole life. Morgan, sensing her nerves leaned over whispering, "Hey Princess, you doing okay?" She looked at him, and her smile said more than any words could have.

"Better than I've ever been."

When Canon in D crescendo again, her head snapped back to the end of the aisle so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. Finally, she saw her future wife round the corner, her breath was taken away and she knew she wouldn't make it out without streaking mascara. Jennifer was wearing her mother's old wedding dress with some alterations. It had a long sleeve lace bodice on top and a sleek chiffon A-line skirt.

JJ felt like Emily could have been wearing a burlap sack and she would have thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world, but damn did she look fine in her dress. Emily was wearing a uniform white gown with a folded fabric off-the-shoulder top. Time slowed down for both women as brown eyes bore into blue. This was Emily's forever. Something she never thought possible. Finally Jennifer reached the altar and the minister began. The world was tuned out as both women focused on each other and lost everything else but their love.

_**FBI Parking Garage**_

_Emily stepped of the elevator, on the way to her car she saw a blond leaning up against it, "Jayje, I thought you were going home?"_

"_Oh, dear Emmy, I wanted to ask if I could take this beauty out for a spin?" Emily cringed when the blond slapped the door of her new Audi Q5. Jennifer laughed, knowing how Emily gets about cars, she had never lived above her paygrade, only her cars did._

_Seeing the joke, Emily rolled her eyes and tossed Jen her keys, "How about you just drive me home and you can take her home and just try not to crash between now and when you pick me up tomorrow?"_

"_Sounds good." before unlocking the car, JJ paused, "I missed that smile on you, Em."_

"_Me too." Emily said smiling again._

_**35 Minutes Later**_

"_Oh! Jen, you missed my exit!" the older woman as clutching the 'oh shit' handle so hard that her knuckles were white, JJ wasn't used to driving a car with so much torque. JJ thought it was funny how much Emily was overreacting_

"_That's because we're not going to your place."_

"_Well where __**are**__ we going?"_

_The blond smirked, "You'll see." _

_Finally, JJ pulled up to a nice-looking row house. _

"_Uh, Jayje?" Emily just got a hmmm? In response, "Where are we?"_

"_I told you in Stockholm that you didn't get to leave us again. This is the house I got after the State department. Henry is with Will this whole week. This is home. I promised I'd love you, so come home with me Emily Prentiss."_

_Emily felt pure love swell in her, "And I promised I'd never run again, I love you Jennifer. Let's go home." JJ leaned over and placed a sweet kiss on the brunette's lips. Their first kiss was sweet and timid, but soon heated up, just when the young blond was about to crawl over the center console, Emily broke away, "Let's go in before we ruin my new car." The laugh and slap to the arm was totally worth the chance to crack a good joke. By the time the two women were in the house, they were on each other again, they didn't even make it to the bedroom._

"Now, these lovely ladies have prepared their own vows, Jennifer, why don't you speak first?"

JJ cleared her throat to ward off the tears about to shed, "We started this crazy journey because our time apart made me realize you were the only person I was supposed to be with. We have both healed ourselves and each other through our love, that process has only made us stronger. It has only made us long harder and forgive easier. Through ups and downs, thick and thin, I will keep my first promise to you, I will always be by your side to ground you, to show you love, to keep you by my side until death do us part. I love you Emily Elizabeth Prentiss, and I look forward to the rest of our lives together."

Both women are crying now, but the Minister pushes on. "Emily?"

"Jennifer, my whole life has been me running away. I had one problem and ran into another. It was a cycle and an ugly way to live, but when I was at a low point, you came in and showed me light. I promised I would never run from you. You are my beating heart, you are my one and only. Now, I stand before friends and family because you were the only love worth baring my sole for. I will never leave your side. For now, and always, I love you Jennifer Andrea Jareau."

"Last part, I promise," the minister gives the crowd a charismatic grin, "Emily Prentiss, do you take Jennifer to be your wife, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Emily smiles with tears rolling down her face, "I do, I absolutely do."

"And Jennifer Jareau do you take Emily to be your wife, until death do you part?"

Jennifer is on the verge of sobbing so she can only choke out an "I do."

The minister smiles widely, "Then by the power vested in my by the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you wife and wife! You may now kiss the bride."

JJ grabs Emily's jaw and pulls her into a pretty intense kiss. Emily wraps her arms around her new wives waist and does a twirl, careful not to trip on the train.

Their friends and family, and political press are all cheering. Their vows were not empty promises, they both intended to follow through with every aspect. This was their beginning, and they couldn't be happier.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is going to pick up right after the last chapter, so this AU timeline will begin in 2013. Expect more flashbacks from leading up to the wedding. I noticed so many grammar and spelling errors in the last chap and I believe that was from me trying to proofread at 4 a.m. I will do better this time. Enjoy!**

"I remember when Emily came to our unit, we were cautious of her. In our line of work, it's typically needed. But that women showed us how to be badass, _**and**_ smart." Everyone listening to Morgan's speech chuckled at the statement. "Today, she taught us how to love, and that's all because Jennifer taught her how to love. As an unofficial spokesman of the BAU, let me just say we wish them the best in life! To love and to Emily and JJ!" The toned man raised his beer, and everyone followed clanking glasses and cheering along.

Morgan's speech was the last of the night. They had gotten through all the traditional reception parts, now it was time to party. The DJ was setting up after the band packed up, JJ and Emily had changed into more practical dresses after the pictures were taken of the reception. Elizabeth and Edward Prentiss walked up to the couple after their wardrobe change.

"Emily, the gift from your father and I will be ready tonight." Emily and JJ exchanged a look, not knowing there would be another gift. "Just get in the car Claude is driving, he knows to take you there after the… uh, 'party'" Elizabeth looks around, glad the open reception ended earlier in the night so that press couldn't keep track of her daughter at her more irresponsible party. Elizabeth and Emily had argued over this specific part of the wedding frequently, until they decided on a compromise. There would be an open, formal reception on the grounds at their venue, then they had a private "party" reception one tent over that was invite only. "Well your father and I are going to go home; we'll be at the brownstone if you need us. We love you both, goodnight." Emily and JJ exchanged hugs with her parents before they headed off.

After a few more people left, the party picked up. When "Bromance" by Avicii played through the speakers, the whole BAU team were already on the dance floor, except for Hotch and Rossi, who probably left when Emily's parents did, but no one really noticed. Emily realized what the song was quickly and pulled the younger blond flush against her body. They swayed to the music and Emily sang the words into JJ's ear.

_Baby here we are standing face to face_

_Just the two of us locked in your embrace_

_Now I got it bad, but you got something good_

_Won't you treat me good in every way_

_Are you ready, I can feel your passion and your love,_

_It overflows_

_I will give you the love you seek and more_

The bass was vibrating through both women. That coupled with their embrace and the meaning of the lyrics had both women on edge.

"It's late, almost two in the morning, no one would notice if we went home early, right? Mother paid for clean up services and everything can be handled by the venue manager. Let's go home Jennifer. To our first night as spouses. What do you say?" Emily asked JJ with a sultry voice and a wink.

The blond gulped, "I think that's the best idea I've heard all night." The shorter women straightened up and pecked her new wife on the lips before grabbing hands and pulling them both to the car service waiting. She looked at Emily, "Which car is Claude's?"

Emily smiled, almost laughing at the question, "You'll know." And Emily was so right. JJ looked up just in time to see a very nice, far to large for metropolitan Virginia, limo.

JJ rolled her eyes and giggled, "Your mother does have a flair for the dramatics." The women laughed as Emily opened the door for her wife, scooting in after her. Neither said anything to driver as he knew where to go, they also didn't want to lower the partition. Jennifer curled into her wife after the complementary champagne was poured.

They both settled in for what they thought would be a short ride, as their wedding was held in the town the lived in, Alexandria. 20 minutes later, they were still traveling. Finally, Emily lowered the partition, "Claude where are we going?"

The driver made eye contact with Emily through the rear-view mirror, "Fairfax Miss."

Emily smiled, know where they were going. She sat back again with JJ; she pulled the blonde into a kiss. It was sweet at first. Then JJ wrapped her hand around Emily's neck, entangling her fingers in her hair. The younger woman nipped at the brunette's bottom lip, silently pleading for access. Emily gave in quickly, allowing JJ to push deeper as their tongues wrapped around and teased each other. JJ started to lean back, pulling Emily with her so the older woman could rest on her. By now, both women needed a breath, but neither was willing to concede just yet. Emily pulled back and looked in JJ's eyes. "God, I love you Jennifer." Emily didn't wait for a response. She dove down and nipped at JJ's neck, the blond moaned and stretched her neck to allow Emily more access. Emily would bite and then smooth the mark with her tongue before sucking lightly, they both knew there would be multiple marks, more as Emily moved down her neck, but the thought sent a rush of wetness to the blonde's center. JJ moaned and Emily smirked. Emily ran her hands up JJ's legs effectively wrapping them around her. She slid her hands under the hem of JJ's dress and cupped her sculpted ass. She brought one hand down and rubbed the blonde's center through her underwear. JJ moaned she was so ready. Then the car eased to a stop.

"We're here." Emily smiled and pulled away from her wife. As disappointed as JJ was, she was also anxious to see the gift from the brunette's parents. Emily got out of the limo first and helped JJ out with a waiting hand. JJ got out and looked around. She gasped at the beautiful estate she was standing on. Emily looked down to her. "This was the house my Mother grew up in... well its more of an estate. It belonged to my grandfather Jean Claude Durand, and his wife, Louisa Durand. I loved it here as a kid. I spent summers here when I was 8, all the way until I was 13. Then I had to go be more present with my parents, so I spent summers with them at Galas and other political bullshit. I don't know what the gift is about this place but let me show you around." Emily lead JJ up the long driveway and into the front of the house. "It has a privacy fence all around the property, also all the streets leading into the neighborhood are guarded. It's not technically a 'gated' community, but it is well guarded. A lot of career politicians have moved in and out of the community." Emily stops as she enters the foyer. She frowns, "it's been remodeled," she looks at JJ, "Not much, it's still a classic style house, but it used to have wains coating on all the walls. Now it just has the crown molding and a new paint job. It looks, nice. It's different but a good different, ya know?" She turned back to JJ who was staring at the house in shock. "Baby, are you okay?"

JJ looked at Emily like she hadn't even known she was talking, "Em, this place is **huge**! How much money does your family have?"

Emily blushed; she had been so caught up in the day she forgot that JJ didn't grow up this way. "My grandfather was a businessman. In 1904 my great grandfather moved here to start his business. He worked in trade; he had a successful import export business. He was 27 in 1910 and he married my great grandmother who was a socialite and the daughter of a wealthy family. They married when she was 18. They had, a son who died young, two daughters, and finally my grandfather in 1914. Being the only living male heir he inherited everything. My grandfather met my grandmother at a carnival at 24 he married my grandmother who was 21 at the time and had my mother in 1939 who met my father at 28 in 1967, they married in 1968 and had me in 1970. Long story short, it family money from my great grandfathers business that has been reinvested and grown for almost 100 years. Is that a problem?" Emily asked out of genuine concern she knows that all of this could be overwhelming.

"Emily, what is your net worth?" JJ looked amused at this.

"Do you want overall, including assets from the Prentiss side?" JJ nodded, "1.4 billion, another five hundred thousand in trust funds."

JJ's jaw dropped, "Emily! Why am I just now finding out? I knew you came from money, but-but you're literally a billionaire!" Emily looked away, half embarrassed, half hurt that the money meant so much to her new wife. JJ saw the change in mood and raised Emily's chin so the brunette would look her in the eye, "Emmy, the money does not make me love you any more or less, it just would have been nice to know what I was marrying into financially. That's all. Now how about a tour?"

Emily kissed her wife, nodding, "I love you Jennifer, now if we go in here, you'll see the formal sitting room and-" Emily stopped dead in her tracks. This house was always furnished with the family relics, the antiques, the family portraits, "It's empty Jen. The house is empty…" the only thing in the room was a note and a manila envelope on one of the built-in cabinets. She opened it and gasped.

_My Dearest Daughter,_

_I remember fondly how much you loved this house, and your grandparents who owned it. My final gift to you is my childhood home so that you may choose to raise your family in it. The deed is in your name, just call the family lawyer and have him present as well as a notary if you and Jennifer decide to sign the deed. The house has been updated, and most of the furniture has been moved out to our other estates, there are some more things in the attic you may look through. I think you'll enjoy most of what we've chosen to leave behind. The master bedroom has been refurnished so you and Jennifer may enjoy it tonight. The estate manager is still in the guest house, he will be in tomorrow to arrange anything you need. Please call if you have any questions. _

_Much Love,_

_Mom and Dad._

Emily was crying and JJ was still not clued into the gift. "Em, what's going on?"

The brunette looked in her wife's beautiful eyes and smile, "This is our house Jen," Jen looked shocked for a moment before smiling widely.

"Well now I really need a full tour." JJ said before she yawned.

Emily paused, just now realizing how tired she was also. "How about some rest first? Mother had the master refurnished for us; would you like to go christen that room first?" JJ nodded and Emily grabbed her hand leading her wife up the grand staircase of their new home. It was only about a 30-minute commute from work and it was beautiful. JJ knew she could live here forever and raise her family here too.

Once to the master suite JJ and Emily made love and fell into a peaceful sleep. Their lives together still only beginning.

**A/N: Hey guys, I know I said this fic would be rated M eventually and I'm sure Y'all want some smut, and you will get it in due time, I just need to set a strong foundation for the story first. Rates and reviews are apprectiated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wholesome content ahead. Also, I'm writing a lot of chapters all at once because if I don't get the inspo written immediately I lose the whole chapter. It will probably slow down, but if Y'all could just like spam my messages when you're craving an update just do that. As always rate and review. I don't own anything related to Criminal Minds or CBS, because I guess that's something that needs to be said and not just implied. **

After both women were up and changed into clean clothes the met with the estate manager in the kitchen.

"Graiden!" Emily was surprised to see he had taken over for his father. "JJ, this kid was basically my brother when I would stay here. His father was the old manager, I guess I expected him to still be running the place." She turned back to the handsome man, "How are you? And your father?"

Graiden gave her a cheeky grin, just as thrilled to see her. "Well dad retired. He and mom actually moved to Belgium to live with my aunt. Mom sends her love by the way. And I got bored of regular hotel management, so when my dad retired, I went straight to the ambassador and asked for his job, she was quick to say yes. Had I known how much my father was really paid for his work here, I would have taken over ages ago." The group laughed, "Oh where are my manners? Hello, you must be the new Mrs. Prentiss. I'm Graiden James Hammel, Estate Manager at your service." He gave her a firm handshake and his best smile.

The blond shook his hand and smiled at both of the old friends. She looked to Emily, "He's a charmer, isn't he?" she winked at Graiden.

"Oh, you have no idea." Both answered together. The whole group laughed.

"Well how about you guys have some breakfast my wife made, and then we can all head out on the full tour?" The man led them into the kitchen, the scene before them shocked Emily.

His wife, whom Emily had also known, Melissa was just finishing preparing waffles and arguing with two small children. The little boy is about Henry's age. He is blond like his mother. He is pouting as Melissa speaks to him, "Harlan did you break Jaylee's toy on purpose?" he shook his head, not making eye contact. She lifted his face to look her in the eye. "Harlan," the mother cautioned. The boy burst into tears.

"Jay always try to make me play with her dolls! But my friends say that's for girls only so I didn't want to play with it so I broke it so I couldn't!" The boy was in hysterics. Melissa's eye softened at the obvious teasing he had gotten.

JJ had a bleeding heart and stepped forward to kneel by the boy. "Hi Harlan, I'm JJ. How old are you?" The little boy raises 5 fingers. JJ smiles at him. "Me and my wife are going to live here soon. And we have a little boy who is also 5. His name is Henry and he's a really good boy. He won't tease you for playing with dolls, I bet he'd like them too!" At that the boy straightened up a bit. "So maybe when we move here, you guys can play together and show those mean friends that it isn't just for girls. Does that sound okay?" the boy nods again. "Great, but now can you tell your sister sorry so that your mom can finish our yummy breakfast?"

"I'm sorry Jaylee. I won't break any more. I promise." Harlan said and drew a cross over his heart with his finger.

Melissa looked up to JJ, "Wow, think you can deal with her next?" Melissa laughed indicating her daughter.

"Oh Mel, I've already got her." Emily said as she sat with the young girl. Emily was reading a book to the girl that she found on the table in the kitchen. The little girl had auburn red hair, Like her dad. It was styled in pigtails, but you could tell by the tail of them that her hair was long and curly. JJ smiled at the scene; Emily reading as the girl leaned against her. Emily using her free hand to twirl one pigtail.

After breakfast, JJ and Emily met in the foyer to wait for Graiden. JJ looked at her beautiful wife. "We should have a baby." The blond blurted out.

Emily was pleasantly surprised. "Yeah, why the decision all of a sudden."

JJ was relieved there wasn't an issue, "Well with this 7-bedroom house plus a mother-in-law unit and God knows what else, we'll need lots of little feet to keep it occupied." JJ smiled.

Emily placed a soft kiss on her wife's lips. "That sounds like a great idea."

Just then Graiden walked up to them. "I hope you enjoyed breakfast; Mel is a hell of a cook. Anyway, before we get on with the tour, let's discuss furnishing and painting."

Emily and JJ had already talked about this before breakfast, "Well we have the honeymoon in three days so after we get all the rooms sorted out we'll head to a furniture store and pic some things out, we'll have them delivered here while we're away. If you could just get a rough room placement laid out, we can readjust when we get back. Is that okay?"

Graiden nodded finishing writing something on his clipboard, "Of course. Now, let's begin in the main house. You saw where the master suite was. Let's start there and move our way down." Once they saw the 5 bedrooms upstairs and the door up to the attic, they made their way through the downstairs, dining room, formal living room, family room, kitchen, the 5 1/2 bathrooms. 3 upstairs 1 full and a powder room downstairs and the last in the basement, situated between the two guest rooms down there. Also, in the basement was a rec room. After their house they were led to and annex through the kitchen. The door opened to stairs that opened into a 2 bed 1 bath apartment for a nanny or butler or anyone who needed it. Graiden showed them the attached 3 car garage knowing Emily would appreciate it. The house also had a long driveway with plenty of parking space, designed for large get togethers. The back patio had a view of the huge property. Right above the patio was the master suite balcony. The immediate back yard was fenced in but JJ could see there was more property. "To the left there is the Guest house, 3 bed, 2 baths. It is currently where my family is staying. Next to it is the enclosed pool house for year 'round access. Then to the right down about a ¼ of a mile is the pasture and the stables."

Emily's eyes lit up, "The stables are still here?"

Graiden smiled, knowing why she was so excited. "Yes, still in great condition thanks to my dad. I have Jacques and her foal in there. Sadly, they are the only ones, with out you superstar we haven't had much need for many more. Maybe we can change that?"

JJ was confused, "Why did he call you 'superstar'?" the blond teased her wife.

Emily blushed, something that was becoming far more common than she was used to, "I was a rider. That's what I did when I spent summers here. I competed in English style, primarily show jumping and contemporary dressage. I won a lot and trained my own horses. That's why they called me superstar. I would love to have horses again. Maybe I can teach Henry and any future kids?" Emily looked to her wife hopefully.

JJ loved the passion her wife had for her old hobby, "Okay darling, but then they also have to play either soccer or football."

Emily's face lit up with the brightest smile she could muster, "Deal!" She turned her attention back to her friend, "Can I see Jacques? I bet JJ would love the foal too."

"Oh my God! Emily! That foal was so cute! And there was so much pasture," The blond gasped in a breath of air, "We should start a hobby farm!"

Emily laughed and looked at her wife as the climbed into the back of the car she had ordered. "Honey, are _**you**_ gonna clean all that shit? Segregate the pasture and build a new barn?" The brunette raised her eyebrow at the excited blond.

JJ smiled, "No, but now I can afford to pay someone to do all that. So we would need a contractor to deal with the new fencing and the barn and then a farm hand four days a week. Easy."

Emily laughed and kissed her wife, "Whatever I can do to this place to make it ours and you happy, I will do. Now, let's go pick up the car and Henry and then go furniture shopping."

JJ and Emily walked into Will's hotel room. He had moved back to New Orleans 6 months after the split. When Emily and JJ go on their honeymoon to Italy for 2 weeks, Will is going to take Henry to Louisiana for a mini vacation for the boy. That means the newly-weds are going to try and spend as much time with him beforehand.

"Mommy! Emmy!" The blond boy ran towards them to be greeted with big hugs and plenty of kisses. He screeched when the brunette tickled his sides during her hug.

"Hey Bigman! You want to go shopping with Mommy and me?" The boy nodded excitedly. "Great go put your shoes on." Emily looked at the southern man, "Hey Will, how was last night after you guys left? We never even knew you left but 11 p.m. rolled around and we assumed you must have slipped out." Emily laughed; she knew as well as he did how hectic it was at the reception.

Will smiled, "Yeah, Henry had a meltdown over… lord knows what." He chuckled, "By the time I got him calmed down outside he was mostly asleep. I just took him home so I wouldn't wake him up by going in to say goodbye. I am sorry if it seemed rude. I texted JJ."

The blond then checked her phone, which had died early in the previous evening. "I didn't have a charger all last night. I guess that explains why I haven't had any notifications all day. Sorry." JJ blushed slightly.

Shortly after they women got together; Emily decided she needed a more practical family car. To a Prentiss "practical" meant a 2012 BMW X6. Once the women had Henry in the car, they headed off to a furnishing outlet.

The women planned to move the furnishings from their current condo. They decided to upgrade Henry's bed because his current one was basically a bigger version of a toddler bed. They planned to move the furniture from their room in the condo to a guest room, and the condo living set to the family room in the house. The family room would be converted to a kid's room, so the dark grey sectional was more practical as kid's furniture. In the outlet, they had picked out a nice set for the formal living room. It had a cream color couch and loveseat with hand-carved wooden side tables and coffee table. The set also came with a matching but optional bookcase. The room it was going in had built ins already, but between family pictures and all of Emily's books, they needed the space. Then they settled on a dining set. They chose a more modern looking, greyish colored, wooden table. Then they chose a navy-blue chevron rug and plush navy-blue chairs to go with it. After that they went to the kid's section of the store. Henry's favorite movie since he could really understand what was happen was "How to Train Your Dragon" so they thought giving him a room with that theme would be nice. But they also wanted the option to readjust it as he grew out of that phase. So, they settled on a twin bed frame with a soft sage green colored headboard. It came with a matching dresser and simple wooden toy box. They got him an activity table and found a couple of cool wall decals, and a colorful rug. That way, when Henry out grows the movie, they only thing that would need changed is the wall decals.

The group was out to lunch before showing Henry the house.

"So, Henry, are you ready to see the new house?" JJ asked him excitedly.

Henry nodded shoving his last spoonful of mac and cheese in his mouth.

"Okay, let's get out here then."

Just going through the gates, JJ looked back at her son and saw him in awe. Emily pulled into a spot in the garage before helping Henry out of the back. They both gave him the tour before showing him the room that would be his. By the time they were done it was dinner time. Emily and JJ took him down to the kitchen, hoping Melissa had her family in the kitchen as she cooked. She did.

"Graiden, I'd like you to meet our son, Henry." Emily said pointing to the young boy. "Henry, this is my old friend. His family lives in the smaller house in the back. He has a son your age and his name is Harlan. Do you think you could make friends with him and his sister?"

"Yeah! I love new friends. And we could play with my toys, in my new room. It'll be fun Emmy!" Henry didn't call Emily mom or any form of it. He was only three when she became JJ's new love. By then he already had a mommy and daddy and didn't understand that there could be more. He was starting to understand the distinction two years later, but it didn't matter what he called her. Every night at bedtime he got a song, a story, and an "I love you," from her. And he said the same, and that's all that mattered to any of them.

They ate dinner together and the old pals laughed about old times. Their spouses laughed at all the trouble they got in. After dinner Emily and JJ planned to show henry the horses.

"Hey Bigman, want to see something super special?" The boy nodded, "Okay put your shoes back on." The boy did as he was told as he followed the women outside. He got startled when he heard the first whiney of the horse.

He grabbed onto his mom's hand harder, "Mommy, what was that?"

She squeezed his hand back and smiled, "It's part of your surprise." His eyes got wide, but he just nodded and followed into the stables. When he saw the horse, his eyes got impossibly wider.

"HORSES! MOMMY HORSES!" He was jumping up and down excitedly. He was familiar with them from some books and shows, but to see one in real life was even more thrilling for the small boy.

"I know buddy, but you have to quiet down, so you don't scare them, okay?" He nodded and put his finger over his lips. "Okay, you see the baby?" He nodded, "Well Emmy bought it for you already, so that, is your horse. What do you want to name him?"

The boy thought for a moment, "Hiccup!" JJ was shocked, if he was going to name the horse after a character from his favorite movie, she thought it would be Toothless.

"Why Hiccup? I thought toothless was your favorite?"

"Because horses have teeth, and Hiccup sounds like a better horse name." JJ couldn't argue with that logic.

"Okay honey, also once we move in, we're going to have a lot of animals out here. What do you think about chickens and goats and sheep? Is that a good plan?"

He nodded. "And dogs!" JJ has never had a good experience with dogs, they scared her.

"He's right baby." JJ raised an eyebrow at her as she was stroking Jacques and giving her carrots. "If you want all these herd animals, you're going to need a dog to keep track of them. We could get a small dog, Australian Shepherd, Heeler, they're both smart breeds and great at herding because of their high energy. We would need at least two because of the acreage of this place. I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with, but if you don't want the dogs, you'll have to pay someone to practically babysit the animals all day. There is a lot of predators out here. It would be good to have them." Emily shrugged, she had to go about the whole situation carefully, she didn't want JJ to feel uncomfortable or for her to sound pushy about the dog.

JJ sighed, "You're right. We can get a smaller breed herding dog and train them really well from a puppy and I will be absolutely okay," she flashed a cheeky grin, "If it means I can get a mini horse also."

Emily laughed out loud, "Okay honey, you can have the pony you've always wanted," Emily teased, "Now, let's get back to the condo and head to bed. You guys go ahead, I'm going to meet with Graiden about a contractor for the barn and chicken coop. I'll meet you in the car."

After 15 minutes of talking with Graiden, Emily finally made it out to the car. She got into the driver's seat, gave her wife a kiss and pulled out of the garage. "Let's go home my love."

"Wherever you are **is** home." JJ intertwined her fingers with her wife's as they headed back to their condo. In just a few days, she would be on their Honeymoon, and she couldn't wait.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: There will be a lot of Italian in here. It will be in italics because I'm not great at conversational Italian, and because I'm not going to translate what I don't know. Rate and Review. Adult content ahead. Femslash warning. I don't own CM.**

**P.S. I read on an article that Emily Prentiss was written in the script to be bi or lesbian, Paget was on board, but CBS scrapped the idea which I think is a HUGE injustice, not just to Paget but to the show because there is no LGBT representation in a recurring character for that show and that's like, vibe check CBS. Vibe check.**

**Anyway, Enjoy!**

"Okay, Henry, Emmy and I will be back soon, and you'll have so much fun with daddy, but can you give us each a big hug to make us feel better?" JJ was probably more upset about the two-week separation than he was, but Emily let her believe she was taking forever to help Henry. Emily knew it would help her wife be more at peace about it all.

After JJ got Henry's biggest hug, Emily leant down and got a good hug too. When she pulled back, she held his head between her hands, "I love you Henry. Have a good time with daddy 'down South'" Emily drawled the last part with a bad southern accent. She kissed his forehead and stood up. "We'll see you soon Henry." She looked towards his dad, "Have fun with him Will, we'll see you in two weeks," she turned to leave but remembered a very crucial detail, "Oh! I heard him practicing a lie about how he gets cookies every night before bed and still sleeps just fine. A warning for you: he doesn't do good with sugar after 8:00 p.m. He's not just hyper, but he also throws up… so good luck with that." She says with a smile and a wink.

"Thank you for the update. I'll make sure he only gets cookies with breakfast." Will winked back at her. "We'll be okay, try not to let JJ get to stressed about it." Both had an understanding that they would do everything to keep JJ happy, and Henry the most loved boy in the world. Everything they did was amicable in the beginning, but the pair had become more of friends than quarrelling lovers.

"Okay, Bye Guys! Have so much fun!" Emily grabbed JJ's hand and headed to the car. She opened the door for her wife and once she was in the driver's seat JJ turned to her. "Emmmmyy," JJ whined, "Will you tell me where we're going now?"

The brunette smiled to herself, "The airport."

JJ slapped her on the arm, "Emily Elizabeth Prentiss, you know that's not what I meant."

Emily let JJ plan the wedding if she got to plan the honeymoon. JJ agreed immediately and even got together with Elizabeth to make it perfect. Emily decided to keep it a secret to torture JJ. The blond tried every tactic to get it out of her, teasing, spying, checking receipts. She got nothing and Garcia wouldn't even let her know anything because of what JJ assumed was bribery. Emily smiled at her new wife. "Okay, since you've been so good this week, I'll tell you. We are going to get on the jet."

"The jet? How did you get the jet?" JJ interrupted.

"Right sorry, wrong jet. Not BAU jet, there's not enough strings in the world to pull. My family's jet." Emily paused for anymore interruptions, when she realized JJ didn't have a question she continued, "Then we are going to fly into Amalfi Coast, Italy. It's a coastal town and my father has a villa there. The villa has it's on private beach, and that's where we'll be staying. I figured we could be beach bums for a couple of days, then we can see the Prentiss Olive oil farm, then Sophia has offered to take us island hopping on her sailboat. Does all of that sound like an okay honeymoon?"

JJ's was in awe. She didn't even know where to start with her questions. Surprisingly the only thing she thought to say was, "I packed for the wrong honeymoon."

Emily busted out laughing. "What do you mean?"

JJ blushed. "All I brought was skimpy bikini's, lingerie, and sex toys." Emily laughed again, "In my defense," the blond continued, "I thought it would be more a private island kind of deal.

"Well we needed that too." Emily gulped at the thought. "If you can manage at least one semi-modest outfit, I'll take you to my favorite boutique in the city. My Zia- sorry My Aunt Serafina, who I call Zia Sera, owns the boutique. She's Sophia's mom, she utilizes local outfitters. Hand sewn articles of clothing all that jazz. She'll be thrilled to see us. And she'll take good care of you. Any questions?"

JJ nodded, "So many."

Emily smiled, they still had 30 minutes until the airport. "Okay, shoot."

"Okay, first, what is your family's immense tie to Italy? I knew your parents were stationed there for a while, but I thought that was it?"

Emily nodded, "This will explain two parts of the trip: my father has dual citizenship. Italian, and American. My paternal grandmother was Italian and then she married my paternal grandfather who was an American career politician. He was born in Italy, but to an American politician, thus the dual citizenship. My grandmother, Rosa Dogero, was the only child of the owner of my family's Olive oil production farm. My parents met because while my mother was still working her way up the ranks, she met my dad on a trip with her father because he was interested in distributing their olive oil. My parents met on that trip, fell in love, and got married, though I think that's because they both knew it could further both of their careers rather than love." Emily paused while JJ could collect her thoughts. Before JJ could ask, Emily knew the next question, "The plane is not mine, it's my parents. I told you about my assets for my net worth, but my parents also have assets that I won't have access to until the pass and I inherit them. I won't even know the combined total until I have all of them."

JJ bust out laughing. "What's so funny" The brunette asked, thoroughly amused. JJ was laughing so hard she just held a finger up in response.

When she got her breath back, she finally answered, still giggling, "I married rich. I could quit my job right now and still have enough of just your trust funds and assets to live the rest of my life lavishly. The funny part is, I didn't even know it. Yeah I knew you came from money, but Em, do you realize how obtuse you sound telling me, a girl from a middle class small town, that when your parents die, you will inherit so much the value isn't even quantifiable yet. That's the funny part. You say all this as if it is normal. You are so extraordinary, and you don't know it. You had all this money available, yet you put yourself through college with hard work and shit jobs, and then you refused to live your life off trust funds, you never lived about your paycheck. That is so admirable, and so absolutely ridiculous. God, I love you." By they end they were both laughing.

"Woah," Jen said as she looked at the plane. "I mean, yeah, this one is smaller, but it is so much nicer. So much cozier." The blond said after Emily got back from talking to the pilot.

"Yeah, it's okay I guess." Emily said making fun of the earlier conversation. She pulled JJ into a hug. "I'm glad you like it. We take off in 30, then we will be free to roam about 15 minutes later."

The seatbelt light blinked off. JJ was going crazy. For the last 15 minutes Emily had been reading with one hand and slowly stroking JJ's inner thigh, her hand kept creeping closer to the blonde's center. As soon as the seatbelt flicked off JJ straddled the brunette, moving her book with the movement. She leaned in right to Emily's ear, "You don't get to tease me like that and not expect consequences." The hot breath, mixed with JJ's sultry voice and the words behind it, gave Emily a shock straight down her spine to her pussy. The blonde bit her lover's earlobe gently. Stroking her tongue to soothe the bite, she grinded her center against Emily's at the same time.

"Oh, fuck." Emily knew if the younger woman reached between her legs right now, she would be embarrassingly wet already. _What did I just myself into?_ She thought to herself, knowing she just woke up the beast inside her wife. JJ was slowly moving her nips and licks down Emily's neck to her collarbone. She licked her back up her wife's neck and ended at the side of the brunette's mouth. She pulled Emily into a hot burning kiss; she did not need to ask for what was hers.

JJ pulled away and looked her wife in the eyes. Her usually bright blue eyes were dilated and darker. "You're mine," Emily nodded, "Say it. Say who's you are."

Emily was breathless, she clit was throbbing almost painfully, "I'm yours baby, please, just fuck me."

JJ was not one to ignore such a nice request. She pulled Emily's shirt over her head, worshipping every inch of newly exposed skin as if it was the first time. She leaned down and lightly bit Emily's left nipple through her lace bra. The brunette arched into the contact.

"Oh fuck, Jen, I'm yours. I always was, please just take me." The smaller blond suddenly stood up. Emily immediately missed the contact

"Move to the back and strip." The taller woman stood and moved to the back while JJ reached for her duffle bag. She met Emily in the back.

The taller woman saw the 7-inch strap-on and flat finger vibrator in her lover's hand. "Oh fuck," she moaned and shivered just at the thought. JJ stripped down and pulled the phallic on, making sure the insert for her and the clit stimulation on the harness fit right.

"Turn around," the blonde commanded and the taller woman listened immediately, bracing herself on the wall in the kitchenette area.

The blond fit the vibrator to attach to her right pointer and middle finger. She used her left hand to line up the cock to her wife's waiting entrance. Once in position she thrust in all the way, fast and rough. She paused for a few moments to let her wife adjust and to let the chills that ran down her own body because of the sudden stimulation she got as well. Emily started to squirm.

"Jen, please, fuck, please move." Emily begged; she was near tears she needed it so bad.

"Tell me how you want it." Emily moaned, her mouth to dry to talk, her body needing the release so much she couldn't think straight. JJ raised back and slapped her wife's ass. The brunette jolted forward due to the shock of her wife's hand on a body full of on-fire nerves. As she relaxed back she moaned again, "I said tell me, Emmy. Tell me how you want me to fuck you."

"Fuck, fast, hard, rough. Like our first year-" Emily screamed off the rest of her thought when JJ pulled out and thrust back in hard and fast, just like requested. JJ kept a rough and fast pace. "OH GOD, YES! Fuck Jen, right there. Oh, please don't stop." JJ ran her hand up Emily's bare back and wrapped the thick brown hair in her fingers and pulled back, roughly. Emily couldn't even verbalize her pleasure, just screams and ragged breaths. JJ felt herself getting close. She fought off her own impending orgasm until she felt it become harder to pull the strap-on out of her wife as the taller woman clenched around her, a sure sign she was close to. JJ flicked the vibrator to the second highest level, knowing the highest would be painful to her wife. She used the inside of her forearm to pull Emily's waist closer to her own. She placed the vibrator against her wife's swollen clit with just the right amount of pressure she knew would get her wife off. Emily let out a scream as her entire body lit up as her orgasm washed over her. Her long legs shook violently through her orgasm. The visual stimulation from her wife's orgasm, and the twitching she could feel through the strap-on sent JJ over the edge. She came hard and fast.

"Fuck, FUCK! Emmy! God you're so tight." Emily was still shaking she tried to push JJ's hand away but when she did, JJ's position slipped, and the vibrator being jostled and the phallic pulling out of her sent her into another intense orgasm. At her second orgasm, the brunette's legs gave way. Luckily, her strong wife was still right up against her and caught her. JJ, knowing she couldn't drag Emily to cabin like this, slowly lowered them both to the floor. "Em, are you okay?" The blond husked out. Emily nodded, still not able to form a sentence. The blond reached over and grabbed a water bottle from the nearby fridge. She helped her wife take a couple drinks before she untangled them. "I'm going to get redressed. You take a minute and do the same. I don't any co-pilots to see you like this, that for Jareau eye's only." JJ winked and the older woman, that was still sprawled out on the floor, laughed

"Can you toss me my shirt from in there?"

JJ nodded, "Sure baby, and then how does a nap sound?"

Emily chuckled, "Like a fucking fantastic idea."

After both women were dressed the curled up on the jet's couch together and slept all the way until the landed in Italy.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, I didn't have any Italian in here. I thought I would, also my first-time writing smut, I hope it was okay. Again, rate and review. I would like any constructive criticism you have. Thanks, Y'all!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I don't own Criminal Minds or any related characters. Rate and Review, feedback is always welcome. Thank you to all who have read so far. This is my first fanfic and I really appreciate the response I'm getting. The recipe in here is one of my favorites and in chapter 4 I used the name Dogero as Edward Prentiss's mother's maiden name, fun fact: it is my maternal grandmother Maiden name! **

**Sorry this update took so long, life got in a way, my 3-year-old daughter got sick and then I got sick and so forth. Thank y'all for bearing with me. **

**Also, there are a lot of **_**adult**_** situations in this chapter and I get somewhat picky about it being perfect and accurate and realistic, but I really wanted to do it justice so it's been like a week of me obsessing and refining those scenes, so like, let me know what you think works and doesn't work? IDK.**

"Emily Elizabeth Prentiss!" The blond was in awe at the size of the villa her new wife owned. "This place is beautiful."

"I always loved when my parents were transferred to Rome, well except for the last time I was there," Emily's eyes flashed with sadness. As soon as it came, Emily pushed it away. "When we were in Rome, we spent any of my parents off time here on the coast. Sophia's family lived here, so even if my parents couldn't get away, I would beg my parents to let me stay with my aunt and uncle. It was so nice to have a cousin my own age to get in trouble with." The brunette winked at her wife.

Just then the newly weds saw a stout woman round the corner, her hair up in a tight grey bun, ***"Emily, cara, pensavamo che ci saresti stata dopo! L'house non ****è ancora pronto!"**

"**Lucia, non si preoccupi, siamo solo venuti a lasciare i bagagli prima di andare in citta'e fare qualche spesa leggera." **The brunette answered in flawless Italian.

"**Allora vai. Ti faro'prendere I bagagli"**

"**Certo, grazie, ci vendiamo presto!"* **Emily showed JJ where to put their bags and they headed off to town.

"Zia Sera!" Emily practically shouted at her aunt from across boutique, startling the older woman, before a bright smile appeared across her face.

"Emily, cara! I am so sorry I missed the wedding, but that is business, no?" Serafina De Luca knew English well, she was the child of an American politician after all. The sister of Edward Prentiss. Though, she never moved to America, so she still spoke with a thick accent. "It is good to see you. This must be the new and beautiful Mrs. Prentiss."

"Yes Zietta, this is Jennifer. We actually need to get her some clothes while we're here. I never told her where we were going for the honeymoon, so she packed…" The brunette gave pause, she did not want to tell her only aunt of her sex life, "For a different kind of vacation."

"Lingerie only?" the older woman asked bluntly. Emily turned bright red and looked away. Serafina laughed loudly, "Do not be embarrassed, I was young and in love once too. I understand. Come, Jennifer let us get you fitted for some more appropriate clothing." She turned to Emily, "Sophia should be back any moment now, she ran out for lunch." Emily's aunt led JJ to another part of the store as the brunette began browsing through the clothes, awaiting the return of her cousin. She looked through the clothes, they all reminded her of what she wore as Lauren. She shivered, but before she could get lost in her thoughts her cousin called for her.

"Emmy! You've arrived early. How was the flight?" Emily thought back to flight where she had her mind blown before she looked back at Sophia.

Emily smiled to herself, "It was alright, a little turbulent but not bad." Emily laughed inside before her and Sophia walked to the breakroom. "What did you get for lunch?"

The tanned brunette held up a take-out bag, "I got me and Mama paninis. Had I known you'd be here I would have picked something up for you."

Emily shook her head, "No need, after Jen gets some more clothes, we'll go out to eat. Probably to that restaurant right on the marina."

"Oh, that place is always delicious." Sophia nodded.

"I am aware," Emily laughed, "How is Gabbie? I was a little upset she couldn't make it to my wedding. I have two cousins and only one came. All 19 of JJ's cousins came. What kept her here anyway? I guess I should get the story before I judge to harshly." Emily winked at Sophia and they both laughed. Sophia's sister always tried to find a reason not to attend family functions.

Sophia scoffed, "It wasn't even a valid excuse. She just didn't come. I nearly dragged her to the airport with me, but she kept saying Mama needed her at the shop, even though Mama told her to go!" Sophia groaned; she was frustrated with her sister.

Emily never got to experience sibling fights, she was only around Sophia and Gabriella for a couple weeks at a time. Gabbie always saw Emily and Sophia as the younger family just there to push her buttons. The two brunettes talked about Emily's time in Italy and the future sailing trip Sophia had already planned out.

"Jennifer, your frame is gorgeous. My niece is very lucky" JJ was looking at herself in three mirrors, amazed at how well the outfit she had on fit her. She had a pair of cream-colored shorts on. The had lace accents all over them, they were typically not the type of thing the blond wore, but she was in a beautiful Italian coast town, so she threw all caution to the wind and let Serafina pick out some clothes for her.

"You have such wonderful taste, Serafina. This isn't at all like I would usually wear, but you've made me look so beautiful in it!"

"No, dear, you were already beautiful, they just match with that. Also, please call me Sera, or Zietta. You are family now." After JJ had enough clothes for every day she would be in Italy, and then some, she headed out of the fitting room with Serafina.

Emily wrapped her arm around her wife's waist and kissed her sweetly on the lips, "Ready?"

The blond nodded, "Yes all that's left is to pay."

The older woman overheard the comment and quickly whipped around, "No dear! You are family, and this is your honeymoon, please, take it as a gift."

Emily smiled as her wife looked stunned, "No, Sera, we couldn't. You deserve to be paid for your service no matter the relationship, not to mention I got a lot of items, this is far more than a gift." She looked at her wife and glared slightly. "Emily, pay your aunt."

It was not a request and Emily knew it. She pulled out her credit card and handed it to her aunt. "Zietta, please take the money, you know it would mean more to me if you let me pay."

The older woman raised an eyebrow at her niece. A look Emily shared with her aunt. "Fifty percent off."

Emily straightened up slightly. "Ten percent."

"Twenty-five."

"Deal." The brunette said finally, handing her card to her aunt.

"Lunch was so good baby. So far everything has been wonderful, this is going to be the best honeymoon ever." JJ said, as her and Emily walked through town, hand in hand.

"It better be your only honeymoon ever" the brunette quipped, "Oh! Look, a gelato stand. You have to try some!"

The couple got back to the villa around 5:00 that evening. Both women we exhausted from their day, and jetlagged from the long trip. Emily saw her wife yawn for the third time in five minutes. "Baby why don't I cook us some dinner and we can go to bed? Today was long and we're both tired." Emily gave JJ a compassionate look.

The blond yawned again and leaned in closer to Emily on the couch they were sharing, "That sounds nice." Emily got up and JJ groaned; missing the contact immediately.

At some point JJ must have fallen asleep, because she was awoken by Emily talking to her. "Jennifer, baby, wake up dinner is ready. Do you want wine?"

The younger woman stretched out on the couch as much as she could. "Yeah wine sounds good. White if you have it."

Emily raised an eyebrow, "Baby this is a Prentiss villa in _Italy, _there's enough booze in this place to drown a sailor. I'm sure I can find some white wine for you." The brunette winked. "Now come on before it gets cold."

JJ walked into the kitchen and was greeted with a delicious aroma. "Mmmm, what did you make, Emmy? It smells divine."

Emily finished pouring wine for the both of them, "There's caprese chicken, roasted potatoes, and a Mediterranean salad. All made from fresh ingredients from local farms and markets." Emily got them both a plate and sat down with her wife.

JJ took a bite of the chicken and moaned. "Mmmm, Emmy what is in this chicken?"

"Seasoned chicken, stuffed with tomato, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella. Roasted on the same pan as the potatoes. My Zietta taught me how to cook it. It's fast, easy, and always reminds me of her and Italy."

JJ smiled at her wife, "Well it's delicious, but I think I know what I want for dessert."

Emily finished her last bite and looked towards her wife, "And what's that?" she quirked her eyebrow and laughed a little.

JJ's eyes darkened, "I want you for dessert."

Emily gulped; her throat suddenly dry as another part of her body became wet.

JJ got up, grabbed Emily's hand and practically dragged her to a standing position. The shorter woman grabbed her wife's hip firmly and backed her into a counter. She wrapped her hand around Emily's neck and pulled her in for a kiss. Quickly the kiss deepened. The women were pawing at each other almost desperately. Emily spun them and easily picked up JJ, setting her on the counter.

"Lean back," The brunette husked out, JJ obliged, and Emily got to work unbuttoning JJ's shorts. The blonde lifted her hips slightly so Emily could slide them past her hips. Emily leaned forward and kissed the blond, she nipped at her lips and her neck. Emily pulled JJ's button up blouse apart. Button's went flying.

JJ gasped; Emily's need was immensely arousing for her. "Emmy, your aunt gave me that."

The brunette licked up between JJ's cleavage all the way up to her mouth and ended in a passionate kiss. "I don't care. I'll buy you a new one."

JJ groaned and leaned back again. Emily reached around and unclasped JJ's bra. She threw the lace garment in another part of the kitchen. Immediately her mouth wrapped around a pert nipple. JJ moaned and laced her hand in Emily's thick hair. Urging the brunette for more. Emily used her hand to lightly pinch the other rosy bud. "Fuck, Emmy I need more." JJ was squirming and desperate.

"Tell me what you want." Emily looked JJ in the eyes, challenging her desire over her pride.

"Don't tease, you know how I like it." JJ challenged her back. When Emily made no move to shift lower, JJ resigned to begging. "Please Emily, your mouth on my pussy. That's how I want it."

Immediately Emily started to kiss her way down to the blonde's waiting center. JJ moaned; anticipating what was coming. But Emily took her time. She kissed to top of JJ's soft patch of curls and kissed, licked, and nipped her way around where JJ needed her most. JJ was so ready she almost screamed at the teasing. "Emmy, please, I need you."

The brunette gave one last bite to JJ's inner thigh. She placed one searing kiss to JJ's clit and her hips bucked up. "Emily! Stop teasing please baby." Emily flattened her tongue and gave JJ's swollen bud a slow lick. She began slowly licking circles around JJ's clit, narrowing in as she sped up. Soon JJ was twitching. Emily could tell she was close. Emily inserted two fingers into her wife's hot, wet entrance. She thrusted in and out, making sure she curled her fingers and hit JJ's g-spot.

Above her, JJ was gasping and moaning her wife's name like she was a god. One of her hands was knotted in thick brown hair, and another was gripping the edge of the counter so hard her knuckles were white.

"Fuck, ungh, Emily, oh my god, don't stop. I'm- ugh, I'm gonna cum. Don't stop, fuck, fuck mhmmmm, Don't Stop, DON'T STOP!" JJ came forcefully. Hip bucking, leg twitching, screaming orgasm. She had to push Emily away, she was so sensitive.

Emily kissed JJ's stomach and stood up, she watched her beautiful wife gasping and basking in post-orgasmic bliss. "Meet me upstairs when you catch your breath." With that, Emily wiped her face on her arm and headed up to the master bedroom.

JJ caught her breath and grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge. She walked upstairs without bothering with any of the mess they had left behind. When she walked through the door to their room, JJ's jaw nearly dropped. On the bed was a naked Emily, proudly sporting a strap-on. The brunette quirked an eyebrow at her wife, "You didn't think I was done with you after only one orgasm, did you?"

JJ gulped. Not only was Emily sporting a strap-on, but it was their _**best**_ strap-on. It was ribbed and curved at the tip; it had the best harness too. It was equipped with an equally pleasurable insert and clit stimulator. JJ climbed on the bed and leant down to kiss her wife. It was sweet and deep. JJ moved to straddle her wife. She lined herself up and lowered herself onto her wife's member. Emily moaned and the blond above her gasped.

"Fuck, JJ, god please move." Just the extra bit of pressure JJ's body had used to move the toy wound the brunette up. She has been ready since dinner and has denied herself release since, in an effort to bring her wife as much pleasure as she gave on the plane. Emily brought her hand around JJ's hip and grabbed JJ's full ass, she grabbed a handful and moved it to urge the blond to move with her.

The blond tsk'ed at her desperate wife. She pulled her hand away, "This is going to be slow and at my speed," She pinned her wife's hands above her head, "I am in control now." Below her, Emily squirmed. JJ bent down and kissed her wife lightly. She peppered kisses all over Emily's full and heavy chest, then her neck, stopping to bite lightly on her pulse point. JJ began to rock her hips slightly back and forth and up and repeat.

Emily lost her breath for a minute, overwhelmed by the slow, torturously pleasurable movement. The blond leant back, bracing against Emily's thigh for support. The new angle put more pressure in and against Emily, it also put pressure on her own g-spot. The older brunette gasped and grabbed onto JJ's thighs for grounding. Loving how she was driving her wife wild; the younger woman began to move faster. She brought one hand around and use it to play with her own nipple.

"Fuck, yeah baby. Play with yourself. God fuck. Jen, I'm so close." At that, the vision of a woman above her moved faster and ran her hand down her own body, stopping over her mound to play with her clit. Soon, JJ was close to the precipice of another orgasm, and based on how her wife was acting, she assumed Emily was close too. The brunette had her head back, her eyes squinted shut, one hand fisting the sheets and the other gripping JJ's waist so hard, the blond was sure there would be bruises later.

JJ moved her legs forward, so she was bearing weight on her feet, instead of her knees. "Look at me Emmy. I want to see you when you come." Emily opened her eyes, brown orbs locking with blue. JJ began to ride faster and harder, still playing with her own clit.

Emily felt the orgasm build into its peak, but the climax hit her with a force she was not expecting. She fought so hard to keep her eyes locked with her wife, but she could only fight so hard, as the pleasure was overwhelming. Watching her wife cum so hard, as well as the sporadic movements from Emily's twitching, had JJ coming for the second time that night. The blond collapsed onto her wife. Both breathing heavily as they recovered.

When both had caught their breath, JJ kissed her wife, and Emily took off the phallic. "I love you so much, Jennifer."

JJ looked deeply into brown eyes. "I love you too."

Both women crawled haphazardly under the covers, cuddling into each other. They both fell into a peaceful sleep. This was going to be a great trip for them.

**Translations:**

"**Emily, dear, we thought you would be later! The house is not quite ready yet!"**

"**Lucia, don't worry, we just came to leave the luggage before we go into town and do some light shopping."**

"**Go on then. I will have someone take your luggage."**

"**Of course, thank you, See you soon!"**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So, I've kind of had this thought of changing the way this story will go. I'm going to change the name of it, and the synopsis. They way this ends is going to lead into how the rest of this story will go! I really hope Y'all like the new direction. **

JJ and Emily had spent the last two weeks of wedded bliss in Italy. But JJ was ready to be home. She was ready to see Henry again, and she was ready to start the new regular life. When they pulled into the long driveway of their new, _giant _house, both women weren't surprised to see the car of Will. They were, however, surprised to see a town car of the car service the Prentiss's use sitting in front of the house. When JJ put the car into park, the women decided to leave luggage in the car. They could deal with that later.

When they stepped into the foyer, they could hear laughter coming from the nearby living room. Both women were pleasantly surprised by the scene that greeted them. Elizabeth, Edward, and Will were sitting on the new furniture, all talking and laughing. All the adults were too invested in the conversation to notice when the women came in.

Emily quirked her eyebrow, "Oh come in, make yourselves at home." She quipped sarcastically, but good-naturedly.

"Oh, Emily, this was my home!" Elizabeth Prentiss gave a genuine smile. It even reached her eyes, Emily was surprised. She had gotten accustomed to her mother's political smiles. She was happy to see real happiness on her mother's face.

"Yes, mother I know but what are doing here?"

JJ interrupted any answer, "And more importantly, why did a small blond boy not greet me the second the car pulled up."

Everyone laughed and Will gave a mischievous smile, "Why, Cher, I do suppose he got lost in this mansion y'all call home."

Elizabeth lightly scolded him, "William, she misses her son! Two weeks on a private beach with Emmy must have been so hard for her." The all laughed at the normally formal woman's sarcasm.

Edward stood and greeted both women with a hug and kissed Emily's cheek, "He's out back playing with Harlan. Melissa is out there with them."

The women moved to head out to the back, but were stopped by the Ambassador, "Oh! It was so nice to see Graiden taking over for his father. And his children are darling, the red hair on his daughter is so cute!"

Emily motioned for JJ to go ahead of her before she stopped and looked at her mother, "Who are you, and what have you done with my mother?" All laughed at the joke.

Elizabeth mocked offense, "Are you saying that I have ever been anything but warm and welcoming?" Emily barked out a laugh, she didn't know what was going on in her mother's head. Maybe she was losing her marbles? Either way the younger raiven-haired woman could get use to friendly banter with her usually poised mother.

JJ stepped out onto the porch first but was followed quickly by her wife. Sensing the new people, Henry looked up, "Mommy! Emmy! You're home!" He ran up the wooden steps of the back patio and met both women for a hug. Both women knelt down and welcomed the bear hug from the small boy.

"And then I made the mistake of showing JJ dad's garage of prized sports cars. She picked out the '84 Ferrari," Emily laughed at the memory before continuing, "And she begged me to let her drive it, and I finally relented and handed her the keys, but when I saw her go to the left side of the car, I couldn't resist the urge to tease her. I quickly got in on the right side before her and when she got in she saw the wheel was in front of me, not her," another fit of laughter, "Her face was priceless."

After the laughter died down, Emily's father spoke, "And here I thought you were going to tell me you let Jennifer drive my **Most. Prized. Car.**" The older man gave Emily a pointed look as he accentuated his words. Again, another wave of laughter rang out.

JJ feigned shock, "Why Edward, are you implying that you don't trust me to drive your fastest, most expensive, antique, automatic sports car?"

Will looked at his watch, "Well I really should get going if I want to make my flight." He looked at Emily and JJ cuddled together on the love seat of their new furniture set, "Congratulations you guys, and thank you for two whole weeks with Henry."

Emily furrowed her brows, "No need to thank us, he's yours too. I'm sorry you don't get him as much, let's make sure to amend that."

Will smiled and nodded before turning his attention to the other couple in the room, "And thank y'all for this morning. I am so grateful to know how much Henry is loved."

Elizabeth stood and shook his hand, "it was our pleasure. Let us know if we can ever help you with anything."

Will quirked an eyebrow, "Got another mansion just laying around?"

Everyone laughed before Edward spoke up, "Not in the U.S. but you are always welcome to vacation at our many international homes."

Will chuckled, shaking his head. "I will see y'all later."

After Will was gone, Emily sat in the living room with her family. Henry was sitting on her dad's lap while he regaled the young man of stories from around the world. Emily was in awe of the scene. "Mom, dad, what brought you guys here this morning? I know it wasn't just to see us home."

Elizabeth and Edward shared a warm smile, "We wanted to see how you were doing in the house, it's still a little sparse in here."

The younger brunette rolled her eyes, "We had the movers and store bring over everything while we were away, but we've yet to unpack and make it homey."

"Emily, we have some news." Emily immediately thought it was bad news, apparently her fear shown through on her face, "Oh you worry to much dear. It is not bad news. In fact, I think it is quite good." Her parents shared another knowing glance, "We've retired Emily."

Emily was awed, "What do you mean you retired, you've worked your whole lives for your positions."

This time Edward was the one to speak, "Frankly dear, that's why we've decided to leave. We spent our whole lives appeasing the public, and at your wedding we realized, had we put even half of our effort into our family, as we did with our work, maybe things would be different, better. Emmy, I guess we're saying that we have chosen watching you grow as an adult, and now mother, rather than our jobs. We made a mistake when you were young. We know that now. We also know we are thirty years to late. And we have decided to spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. We love you, our only daughter, and we are sorry for any hurt we caused by not showing that enough," By now Emily was crying, JJ was tearing up, and both of the Prentiss's were misty-eyed. "We are truly sorry we've only now realized our mistake, but we love you so much. We never want you to doubt that again. Will you forgive us Emily?" Emily wiped her eyes before moving to sit between her parents. She let them hold her for a while.

Finally, she looked up, "I forgive you. I love you."

Her parents pulled her into a hug, tears falling from all. "Well truth be told, you were right, Emmy, politics can be quite boring." The joke coming from Elizabeth surprised all.

The younger brunette shot up, a huge smile adorning her features, "I told you!" she practically shouted.

The night was winding down, they had a wonderful dinner, Henry was put to bed, the Prentiss's decided to head home. "We've bought a modest house nearly a mile away to be close, and as far away from politics as possible. We will have you over soon."

Soon everyone was gone, JJ could see her wife was more quiet than normal. "Emily, are you okay?"

Emily looked at though she was snapped out of a trance. Brown eyes filled with confusion, "I'm going for a walk, I feel overwhelmed and I need a minute." Brown connected with a worried blue, "I'll come back to you, I promise. I just need a minute to think it out by myself. I love you." Emily kissed her wife before pulling on a coat and heading out the back door. She found her way in the dimly lit estate to the stables. Her parents' words wore playing over and over in her head. She and JJ knew that because of their jobs, any future children they could want would be through adoption rather than IVF or insemination. But no adoption would go through with parents who both worked out of town most of the time. She grabbed the western saddle hanging near Jacques. She mostly rode English, but she was familiar with western for more casual rides. She mounted the horse and lead her out of the barn area in a steady trot. Could she really change her life so much? She never thought she'd want a domestic life, but her life had been so full of hurt, didn't she deserve a break? She had plenty of other homier options. She could even consult if she wanted to stay affiliated with the FBI. But, did she want that? Emily realized she had been gone for a while, it was dark, she just realized she didn't have a phone with her, and JJ must be worried. She headed back, letting the horse lead the way. When she got back to the house all the lights were off except the one in her room. She kicked her, now muddy, shoes off by the back door. She trudged up the steps to her room. JJ gave her a warm smile as she looked up from her book. Emily returned the smile before rummaging through her suitcase for some pajamas and heading to the bathroom for a shower. When she was done and redressed, she cuddled under the warm blanket of her bed. JJ put her book down and pulled her wife into an embrace.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on in that head of yours?" JJ said as she put a loose strand of brown hair behind Emily's ear.

The woman beside her sighed, "You know how we talked about adopting a child instead of anything else?" The blond nodded, "And you know how my parents said they didn't want to miss out on anymore of my life? Well, if we decide to adopt, and if we both work, we can never adopt a child. We'll be gone to much, and I don't want that to be taken away from our family, I went out to think of a possible choice for me. There's never been a problem with both of us on the team before, but I think that would be our problem, not being able to do everything we want as a family." Emily realized she was rambling, she took a deep breath, "What I'm trying to say is that, I want to resign from the FBI." JJ looked shocked but didn't say anything to let her wife finish. "I want to put our family first from now on, always. You love your job as a profiler now. I don't want anything to come between that. And I understand the job. I know there will be late nights and long weeks, and I want to be the person you can call who isn't mad that you'll be gone a few more days, the person who will never not love you simply because of an unpredictable schedule."

The blond smiled and gave her wife a sweet kiss. "I love you. But what will you do for work? You would go crazy trying to be a stay-at-home mom."

"Well, I'll take over the family business."

JJ looked appalled, "You hate politics!"

The brunette laughed at her wife, "Not politics Jen. The literal family business. Import, export. Most of it is just approving budgets and inventories. But I could also travel the world, open new shops, try new products. It will be amazing. I can take Henry all around the world with me, or any other kids for that matter. I want this, and it will be great for our family."

JJ smiled, "It will be amazing for our family, and then we can really fill this house with love. We can have so many kids!" both women laughed. But JJ gasped, "Does this mean I can have a hobby farm? Oh Emily, I really want goats!"

Emily kissed her wife, "We can have as many kids and goats as possible. I don't care what it takes, I love you. I love us, and I love that you are by my side as I do this."

**A/N: Okay, so some of you may think that Emily would never leave the job for family, but I disagree. Emily never had the chance to, because she never had a family. Also, she left for what I think is an even worse reason in season 7. JJ will stay with BAU and you will get cases and stuff from that.**


	7. Chapter 7

**6 months later**

Emily woke to the phone ringing on the side table near her side of the bed. She blinked so the blur from her eyes would leave and she could check the time. It was nearly 5 a.m., much to early for a work call.

"Hello?" she rasped out, her voice, like everything else, still tired from sleep.

"Hi, is this Emily or Jennifer Prentiss?" A small, but sweet-sounding voice asked from the other line.

Emily realized this could be a long call, so she got out of the bed and left the room, "yes, this is Emily," she tiptoed out of the room. JJ had been home late and needed the sleep.

"I'm sorry for the early call, but we have a placement for you. Three-year-old girl, she was removed from her current placement last night in an emergency. Would you be willing to take her?" Emily and JJ had finished their foster training three months ago, DCFS knows they were looking for children who could be adopted, not just fostered. They hadn't heard anything since and lost more hope with every passing week.

"Let me ask my wife, can you hold on for just a moment?" Emily was taken over by excitement.

"Yes, of course c-" anything else she may have said was lost on Emily; she was already sprinting into her room.

"JJ! Jennifer wake up!" Emily was on the bed jostling her wife from a deep sleep.

JJ sat up suddenly, when she realized what woke her, she laid back down moaning, "Where's the fire Em?"

"They have a placement for us." JJ shot back up, eyes wide, smile big.

"Really?" Emily nodded.

"Three-year-old girl."

JJ's smile got wider, "Well what did you say?"

"I said I'd ask you first."

JJ grabbed the phone from her wife and put it on speaker, "Hello, this is Jennifer Prentiss."

"Hello Mrs. Prentiss, we need an answer for the placement."

"We'll take her." JJ said with finality.

"Great, we'll be arriving at 7:30 this morning. Does that work for you guys?"

JJ had just gotten back from a long case, so the team would be on desk duty for a while, she could easily call in, "That's perfect. It will give us time to get our son to school."

"Great see you then. Goodbye."

JJ hung up the phone, her eyes meeting Emily's. "We're getting a kid!" They both pulled each other in for a hug bouncing on the bed. "We have to get Henry ready for school. I'll call Garcia and see if she can take him to school so we're both home if they get here early."

Emily nodded in understanding, "I'll go make the coffee." She kissed her wife and left the room.

After a few rings, Penelope answered the shrill sound of her phone. "Jennifer, I swear to god if this is not life or death, you better explain yourself before I make it life or _**death**_" the normally peppy blond answered angrily, it was far too early for her.

"It's life, Pen. We're getting a little girl today, a social worker just called. I'm sorry it's so early, but can you pick up Henry and take him to school before work? Neither of us want to leave in case they arrive early."

"A girl? You mean I get a little niece to spoil? Oh, what's her name?" Penelope lost resentment for the early call. She was beyond ecstatic for her friends.

"Well we don't know yet, but the social worker said she was three, so she's little. Can you get him?" JJ had to keep Penelope on track.

"Yes, of course, I can even take him to breakfast. Anything else you need?"

"Thank you Pen. Not too much sugar for breakfast, and can you tell Hotch I won't be in?"

"Not a problem, I'll see you in an hour, toodles!" JJ couldn't even say a farewell back, the line was already dead.

As promised, an hour later the doorbell rang. Emily answered as JJ was upstairs wrestling Henry into his school uniform.

"Emmy! Oh my god, work has been totally not cool without you! We miss you!" Garcia announced as she let herself in. "Ugh, why haven't I been here since the house-warming party? This place is like a castle for a princess! I belong to **live** here!"

Emily laughed, "It's good to see you Penelope, but you guys could not pay me enough to go back. Don't get me wrong, I miss you guys with all my heart, but this life, is absolutely stress free, and easy, and beautiful."

"You deserve it. You look so at peace, it suits you." Penelope smiled at her. Just then, Henry came bounding down the stairs. Behind him were two blurs of fur, barking as they chased him, and he laughed. Garcia inhaled sharply before eyeing Emily, "JJ let you get dogs?!"

"Yeah, but they're mini Australian shepherds. All the brains and herding power in a tiny, fluffy package. It makes her feel better about them." Penelope knelt down and the dogs ran to her, excited by all her new smells.

"How does Sergio get along with them?"

"He was wary the first few days, but with all the work we have them doing with the other animals, they don't really bother him. The gray one with blue eyes is Luna, and the brown and white one is Nova. They keep me company when I work around the house and everyone else is gone. They're great for keeping me company at the factory too, when Jennifer's farm is handled, which it never seems to be anymore." Emily laughed from the foyer she could hear JJ wrestling Henry into shoes. "Oh! And one of our goats just had twin babies! Oh I never thought myself as such a farm girl, but with all that's going on with that part of the household, it's kept me busy enough to not go stir crazy, and I think I'm warming up to all of them. Although JJ wants to add alpacas to the mix."

"Alpacas?" Emily nodded and both women laughed at the thought, "Aren't those the ones who spit?"

Emily raised an eyebrow, "I am not the one to ask,"

Emily and Penelope were cut from any further conversation as Henry burst back into the living room. "Aunt Penny! I am ready to go!" He said matter of factly.

Penelope extended her hand for him to grab. "Okay! Let's go, what do you want for breakfast?"

Henry and Penelope were walked to the door by Emily and JJ, "Okay, Henry, be good for Aunt Penny. Make sure she gets you to school on time, or you'll both be grounded!" JJ scolded them both.

"JJ you worry to much, we'll be fine. Let me know when we can meet the little princess!" She looked to Henry, "Say by to your mom's."

"Bye Mommy," he said with a big wave, "Bye Emmy!"

After making sure Garcia had a booster in her car for Henry, both women made it back in. "Ugh Emily, it is so cold outside. It might snow again later."

Emily took time to pull off and hang her coat in the foyer. "I know, why don't you go shower, we have almost another hour before they should be here."

"Sounds great, I'll try to make it quick." JJ turned and headed up the stairs. Emily watched her go, if all went well, they would have a daughter soon. She was so happy, this new life she'd created made her happier than she ever thought possible. She wandered around the house, cleaning up the morning mess as she went. Soon, JJ was done and met her downstairs just as she finished organizing the playroom.

"I'm going to tell Graiden and Melissa to take the day, then check in on the barn and be right back in." JJ nodded before heading to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. Emily looked at the dogs that had followed her diligently through the house. "Nova, Luna, wanna go outside?" Both dogs got up, tiny stubs of tails wagging, and they raced her to the back door. Emily pulled another coat on before braving the cold December weather. After checking that the barn was warm enough and the kids would be okay, she opened the small door for the animals to go in and out. She ended her walk through by checking on the horses. The foal of Graiden's horse was nearing a full stallion. Hiccup, as Henry named him, was due to be castrated in a few weeks, it would make it easier for him to be trained for riding. Henry was so good with the horse, no matter how wild both of them were, they always calmed down when around each other. Emily smiled; it was like the horse already knew he was Henry's. Emily couldn't wait for spring to help Henry learn to ride. Emily got back in about thirty minutes after she had left. The anxiety of her day was hitting her, she was excited. She met her wife in the living room. JJ was reading and curled under a warm throw blanket. Emily stopped and leant down to kiss her. "I love you."

"I love you too. The excitement is making me shake. A little girl, perfect timing too. I would hate for me to be gone when we got a placement." JJ looked a little guilty, but an excited smile still was on her face.

"I know, I'm excited too. I'll have to call my mother in a couple days. I think she's been getting bored without much to do. This little excitement will make them both so happy." Emily walked over and sat at the up-right piano in the corner of the living room. She didn't play since she was young, but in her slow days at home she picked it back up. Her remembrance of the talent she had surprised her, and she's been enjoying Henry's interest in learning. "Any requests?" Emily looked at her wife.

JJ remembered when she walked in on her wife playing the piano, she had never heard anything more beautiful. Emily told of how she learned as a child and decided to pick it back up in her spare time. JJ smiled, "Surprise me." Emily smiled and began to play. The song was faster than her normal choices. It sounded like a more modern song than what Emily usually plays.

Soon, Emily surprised her wife by turning to lock eyes and began singing.

_"You put all your faith in my dreams_

_You gave me the world that I wanted_

_What did I do to deserve you?_

_I follow your steps with my feet_

_I walk on the road that you started_

_I need you to know that I heard you, every word._

_I've waited way too long to say_

_Everything you mean to me._

_In case you don't live forever, let me tell you now  
I love you more than you'll ever wrap your head around  
In case you don't live forever, let me tell you the truth  
I'm everything that I am because of you_

_I, I've carried this song in my mind  
Listen, it's echoing in me  
But I haven't helped you to hear it  
We, we've only got so much time  
I'm pretty sure it would kill me  
If you didn't know the pieces of me are pieces of you_

_I've waited way too long to say  
Everything you mean to me_

_In case you don't live forever, let me tell you now  
I love you more than you'll ever wrap your head around  
In case you don't live forever, let me tell you the truth  
I'm everything that I am because of you_

_I have a hero whenever I need one  
I just look up to you and I see one  
I'm a woman 'cause you taught me to be one_

_In case you don't live forever, let me tell you now  
I love you more than you'll ever wrap your head around  
In case you don't live forever, let me tell you the truth  
I'm everything that I am_

_Whoa... whoa...  
In case you don't live forever, let me tell you the truth  
As long as I'm here as I am, so are you_"

JJ and Emily made eye contact as Emily sang to her wife. JJ got up from her spot on the coach before sitting in Emily's lap. JJ wrapped her hand around her wife's neck and pulled her in. The kiss was passionate and loving. When JJ pulled away, she stroked her thumb up and down pale skin. "What song was that?"

Emily blushed slightly, "I heard it on the radio. It reminded me of you, us. I googled it and learned it that day. It's from a guy named Ben Platt, it's called _In Case You Don't Live Forever_. I've been waiting for a reason to show it to you. This just calmed both of us down, so it worked out perfectly. Did you like it?"

Emily got another short kiss. "It was perfect. I love you. So so much."

Emily smiled a dopey, love stuck smile. "I love you too. You are the best thing to ever happen to me." Just before they could kiss again the doorbell rang.

JJ's eyes widen and she froze.

Emily rubbed her back, "Well get up, so we can go meet her." JJ seemed to be shocked back into action because she was at the door lightning fast.

Emily met JJ at the door, they shared a look, "Ready to meet her?" JJ asked as she gulped.

"Always." Emily answered without a doubt in her mind. They opened the door.

**A/N: Yep! I'm leaving y'all on a small cliff hanger! I just realized how long this chapter had already gotten. Don't worry, I've found my muse again and will probably post the next chapter later tonight. Let me know what y'all think of it so far.**


	8. Chapter 8

Emily opened the door, her eyes immediately shot down to the little girl holding the hand of the taller woman. Emily drank in the sight of the little girl. She had stick straight dirty blond hair that fell to her lower back, she had the most striking green eyes Emily had ever seen. She was sucking her thumb with her free hand. Her face was tear stricken and it broke Emily's heart. She finally looked up to the social worker, extending her hand. "Hi, I'm Emily Prentiss. Please, come in." Emily lead her and the little girl to the living room.

Once everyone was sitting, the social worker spoke. "You have a lovely home. I'm Sarah Daye. This is Eloise Smith. Can you say hi?" The older woman turned to the little girl.

A small voice finally spoke as she pulled her thumb out of her mouth. "My name is Ellie." That was all she said before she put her thumb in her mouth again.

"Eloise does prefer to be called Ellie. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?" The social worker looked cautiously at the little girl.

JJ stood and extended her hand to the little girl, "Hi Ellie, I'm Jennifer, do you want to go check out some toys?" The little girl nodded and slid off the couch, catching Jennifer's hand in the process.

When they were both out of ear shot, Emily spoke, "What do I do now?"

"Well we'll need to do a house check really quick. But I wanted to talk to you about Eloise." Emily nodded for Sarah to continue, "As I said we needed an emergency placement for her. She had to be taken out of the house because of abuse from a fellow foster child. If you ask me, she shouldn't have been in that house in the first place. Don't get me wrong, those parents do a great job with the older kids, but the system can still breed resentment in most of our older kids. This house was no different. Eloise was subject to a lot of bullying, but when she showed up to day care with small bruises all over her from the relentless pinching she got from one of her foster brothers, we had no choice but to remove both children from the home. She was a safe-heaven baby, she's never had a family. She's shy, but she is so kind, she's one of the better cases under my care. I recently read your file. I know that you essentially quit your job for a family and were looking to eventually adopt, when all of this went down, I knew you were the people to look after her."

Emily nodded along, "Thank you. What can I do for her?"

"Well truth be told; she's been one of the easier cases. She is a good kid. She just needs time to warm up. I just need you to be good to her, she has a special place in my heart. She was my first case out of college, and I've had her case since her surrender. Now, let's get the house check done with." Sarah said with a warm smile.

Emily nodded, "Yes of course. Follow me." Emily lead her through the house. She showed Sarah the upstairs, ending with the room Ellie would sleep in. "Should I get one of those guard-rail things for her bed?" It was a twin bed, not a toddler bed, and Emily found herself suddenly worried about the situation.

"It would be an added measure of security. I would recommend one." Sarah said, noting something on her clipboard.

Emily lead her downstairs, she showed they had baby gates at each set of stairs and could lock the doors in high places. She showed Sarah to the office and the showed her how the gun safe was hidden and always locked. "That's a great measure." Again, Sarah noted something. She ended by showing the social worker to the playroom, where JJ and Ellie were still playing. "Okay Ellie, I have to borrow Jennifer for some paperwork, is that okay?" Sarah had squatted to look at the girl, her voice softened the second she spoke to the little girl.

JJ stood, but rubbed the little girl's shoulder, "I'll be back soon, okay Ellie?" The little girl nodded, still flipping pages on the picture book she was looking at. JJ followed Emily and the social worker into the dining room. Once all were seated, JJ looked at Sarah, "So how'd we do?" JJ played with her hands, a sign of nervousness.

"You are some of the most prepared parents I've ever seen. All looks good. We just need to sign some custody papers and get you her medical information. Oh," Sarah looked as though she remembered something, "Do you guys have a 5-point harness car seat?"

JJ looked panicked. She hadn't though about keeping Henry's when he graduated to a booster seat. "No, is that bad?"

Sarah chuckled, "Not at all, I just wanted to double check before I got the one from my car. After we get all the paperwork signed, we will get that, and her stuff out of the car."

Soon all the paperwork was signed, JJ went back to see Ellie asleep on the couch in the playroom. She had seemed tired the whole time she had been in their home. JJ pulled a blanket off the back of the couch, tucking it around her small body, before going back out. She noticed the house was otherwise empty, and figured she could help Sarah and Em bring stuff in. All that was left when she reached them was the car seat. "I'll get it," she told them.

After Sarah left, Emily looked at JJ, "Where's Ellie?"

"She passed out in the playroom. Want to go upstairs and unpack this for her?" Emily nodded and grabbed one trash bag, while JJ grabbed the other. They sat on what would be Ellie's bed.

"That little girl looked so sad, apparently she loved the parents in her old home." Emily looked sad at the thought of the girl hurting.

"So why did they remove her?" JJ asked, stroking Emily's back.

"One older boy in the home picked on her. He pinched her until she bruised. So, they both had to leave. This isn't even the worst story of abuse we've heard, but the look in her eyes when she got here, she was so sad. It just… it hurt my heart." Emily wiped a stray tear.

"I know, but I know you and I will love her with all of our hearts. We will never let anything bad happen to her. I promise." The blond assured her wife. They began unpacking the bags, and JJ frowned. "These will never fit her."

Emily stopped folding something, "What?"

"All these clothes are at least a size to small, and this one says 24 months! How could she even squeeze into these?" JJ got angry at someone not bothering to care for the girl's basic needs.

"Well I was thinking of taking her to the mall to pick out a couple of toys, and maybe a bed set. Maybe we can just move that from tomorrow to today? So, then we could get her a couple pairs of clothes that fit well. And a winter coat. The one she has is far too thin. Oh! And shoes. She needs shoes, she has like one pair of tennis shoes that fit her." Emily kept thinking of things the girl needed.

"She needs a different car seat too. The one she has looks like it came straight from the '80s."

Emily smiled, "Penelope is going to be so mad we took Ellie shopping without her."

Just then the couple heard a small cry from downstairs, "Jennifer?" They heard through a whimper. Both women jumped up and ran down the stairs.

"Ellie!" Jennifer called as the girl sat on the floor in the hall. The girl's head shot up and green eyes bore into the blond, new tears were falling. "I couldn't find you." The sadness in Ellie's voice hurt both women.

JJ sat on the floor next to her. "I'm so sorry, Ellie. We were just upstairs. We will show you the house later so that you can't feel lost again. But me and Emily noticed that you don't have many clothes that fit. Do you want to go pick out some more?" The girl perked up, "Maybe we can get you a couple toys too? And we can decorate you room. Does that sound okay?"

The first beautiful smile they had seen from her, was displayed then. "Yes!" She said as she shot up, the energy a three-year-old should have came back to the girl. She didn't know much, but she knew these two women who had her, were the best so far.

"Okay, let's go get you ready! You're still in jammies!" JJ tickled the girls' sides. A beautiful squealing laughter filled the hall. Emily knew instantly that she loved that sound. JJ got up and extended her hand for the little girl. "Let's go show you your room."

Emily followed them up into the room for Ellie.

"The bed is so big!" Ellie's eyes were wide in wonder. She turned to the women, "Your house is so big!" Emily and JJ laughed.

"It is pretty big, but we have so much more than just the inside! Maybe when we get back, we can show you all the barn animals!" Emily said, matching the excitement of the little girl.

"Do you have cows? MOOO." The little girl was shaking with excitement.

Whoever used to have her, taught her about farm animals. That gave Emily solace. She gave Eloise a sad smile, "Sorry, no cows, yet. But we have goats, and horses!"

"Baaaa!" Was all they got in response, both women laughed again.

Once they had found a decent outfit that wasn't super small, Emily went into the garage to get the car seat hooked up in her SUV. When she came back in JJ was on the phone, "Hey Pen, we are taking Ellie shopping- yeah, her full name is Eloise. Yes, it is super cute. Yes, so is she. Sorry, but she needs it now. Can you take Henry home and stay with him for a bit if we aren't home by then?" Emily didn't get the chance to finished listening to JJ's side of the phone call. She felt a small tug on the side of her shirt.

"Emily?" Eloise had her eyes wide, "I have to go potty." She looked away, blushing.

"Oh. Okay, come on," Emily lead the girl to the bathroom. "Do you need help?" Emily saw that the girl looked embarrassed. "it's okay if you do." Emily reassured her. Ellie nodded, still not looking at Emily.

After Emily got Ellie done washing her hands, they emerged to see JJ looking trapped on her call with Garcia. Emily walked hand in hand with Ellie, she grabbed the phone from JJ. "Hey Pen, we have to go, I'll send a pic in the toy store and let you buy some things later. Bye!" She hung up before she could be sucked in by their friend. "Well now that that's handled, shall we go?" JJ nodded, relieved. "Do you know where Henry's old stroller is? I don't want Ellie to have to walk the whole time."

JJ swallowed the last of her water before standing up. "Let me get that in the car, you get her in her coat and strapped in. Sound good?"

Both nodded in response.

On the road JJ turned around in the passenger seat to look at Ellie, who was quietly looking out the window. "Do you want to listen to some music Ellie?"

Green eye's lit up and the little girl nodded. JJ turned on the radio and saw the little girl bob along.

Emily and JJ just finished in The Children's Place in the mall, they had a lot of new clothes, most of which were pink or super girly, but Ellie picked most of it herself, anything not pink was what the women picked. They got her a new winter coat and a lot of shoes, and some furry boots. They walked out and JJ looked at her watch, it was noon, so definitely lunch time. She turned towards Emily who was pushing the stroller, "Hey babe, how about some lunch?"

"That sounds good. Food court?" JJ nodded in response.

When they got to the food court, she bent down to talk to Ellie. "what sounds good for lunch?"

The little girls face scrunched up in thought, JJ giggled at the face, "Pizza!" Ellie said pointing to the pizza place near them.

"Pizza it is!" The blond announced.

After all of them were fed, they headed to the Macy's for a new bed set. They let Eloise out of her stroller to look closer at the twin bedspreads. JJ pushed the stroller while Emily held her hand as the browsed. "Can I look higher?" Ellie's neck was cranked up, but she still couldn't look at all of them.

"Sure, here." Emily picked her up and Ellie instinctively wrapped her legs around Emily's waist. Her little hand came around and rested on the opposite side of Emily's neck. Emily melted. She was already so in love. Everything Sarah said was true. And she knew then that she would never let this little girl down. Figuratively, of course.

"'tis one Em'ly." Emily smiled at the way they little one said her name. Her eyes followed a little finger to a bed set. On the cover it had tons of different shades of pinks and soft browns, on the front of the comforter was an owl, and the sheets were white with little matching owls on them. "owl says 'who-who'"

"Good job, and owl does say 'who'. You want the owl one?" Ellie nodded. "Okay, owl one it is."

Emily moved to put Ellie down, but the girl squeezed tighter into Emily's neck. Emily simply used her free hand to grab the handle of the bed set and put it in the stroller where Ellie was previously sitting.

Emily grabbed a guard-rail from the same section before heading out of the store. They paid and headed to their last stop, the toy store. Once Ellie looked at all the toys lining the wall she started to try and wiggle away from Emily. "Ellie, I'll set you down, but you have to promise to hold my hand, okay?" The little girl nodded. Emily set her down and they held hands. Again, JJ pushed the stroller through the shop.

"What can I get?" Ellie asked, looking up to Emily.

"Anything you want." Emily watched her get her thinking face on as she scanned all the toys. Both women giggled at the face. Soon she found a stuffed elephant, she held it up and looked at Emily hopefully. "That's cute. Let's get it." And that's how the shopping trip went, Ellie would see something she liked and ask Emily silently for it. She never told Ellie no once. She picked mostly stuffed animals and books, with a few dolls or other toys thrown in. Emily knew she was setting a bad precedent, but all the girl came with was a couple bags of too small clothing, Emily thought she deserved this spoiling. JJ picked a couple of things for Henry, so he didn't feel left out. The last thing they did was pick out a new car seat in the Kohl's. It was nearing three when they finally left.

JJ and Emily knew that Henry would be home when they got home. They really hoped him and Ellie got along.

When they pulled in, they saw Garcia's car already there. "Okay Ellie, our friend Penny is here, she is going to love you, but she talks really fast, think you can keep up?" JJ asked as she pulled Ellie from the car seat.

"Mmkay," Ellie was still clutching the pink elephant, the first ever toy she picked out for herself. JJ pulled her out of her car seat and carried her inside. Immediately Nova and Luna made themselves known. Ellie flinched at their barking at first but got excited quickly. "Puppies!" She squealed as she wormed her way out of JJ's arms. She went to them the second she was let out. She sat on the floor in the hall as they smothered her with kisses. She squealed again and pet them both, giggling the whole time. JJ let Emily watch them and headed to the living room, as soon as she was in, Henry left his snack on the coffee table, running to his mom. She pulled him into a big hug.

"Mommy! Aunty Penny took me to a bakery for breakfast, and we were almost late to school. But only almost!" Henry told his mother, making sure she knew he was technically to school on time.

"Henry, you are such a tattle tale!" Garcia teased as she knelt to tickle him.

"Garcia, can you stay here? I want to show Henry someone, alone first." Penelope huffed and grumbled but sat on the couch pouting. "You can see soon. I promise."

"What do you show me?" Henry asked, his little brow furrowed in confusion.

JJ stood and showed him into the hall. Ellie looked up from the dogs and smiled, "Henry, this is Ellie, she's going to stay with us for a while. Can you say hi and promise to be nice?" Henry nodded and smiled back at the little girl.

"I'll be nice, mommy. I promise." He turned his attention to the little girl, "Hi Ellie, I'm Henry." He put a tiny hand out like he had seen his mom's do a lot. Ellie looked confused at what to do. She stood awkwardly at slapped his hand, like it was a sideways high-five. Henry's face wrinkled in confusion, "No, not like that. Like this," he took her hand and put it to his. His fingers wrapped around her hand and he shook it up and down before letting their hands fall. "It's how big kids say hello."

Ellie gave another smile, "Okay!"

Henry smiled, he just taught her something and he was proud of himself. "What to watch cartoons with me and Aunt Penny?"

"Yeah!" They both smiled and Henry grabbed her hand before dragging her to the living room with him.

JJ and Emily looked at each other, "Well, that went well."

JJ rolled her eyes at Emily, "let's hope it stays that way."

Emily wrapped her arms around JJ's waist and kissed her sweetly. "Cartoons, ma' lady?" Emily raised her eyebrow and gestured to the living room for JJ to lead the way. JJ laughed and pulled Emily by the hand into the living room. Once they cuddle up on the couch by Penelope, leaving the kids on the other couch, they got a glare from the normally bubbly woman.

"You could not wait one day? ONE DAY? You know I love shopping and tomorrow's Saturday!" Garcia practically whined at them.

Emily just shrugged, "She needed clothes." She turned her attention to the girl sitting across from her, "Ellie, this is Penny. She is so happy to meet you," She turned back to Penelope and quirked an eyebrow giving her a '_well are you going to play nice or not?' _look.

Penelope seemed to remember her reason to be here and she beamed brightly. "Hi Ellie, you can call me Aunt Penny or Penny or anything you want. My name is Penelope. Welcome to the family! You'll meet so many of JJ's friends, and if you ask me, they're all pretty cool." Ellie gave her a bright smile back.

She crawled off the couch with Henry and scrambled her way onto Penelope's lap, who helped her up immediately. "Look at this el'phant Em'ly bought me."

Penelope immediately showed interest to the new toy and they shared a conversation that only them would have understood. Emily and JJ held each other closer, loving the scene unfolding before them. It was beautiful, and they couldn't have asked for a better day.

**A/N: honestly at this point, I'm writing for just myself. Still, let me know how y'all are liking it. What do you think could be improved? Any feedback is welcome and appreciated! There will def be more, so stay tuned!**


	9. Chapter 9

After a couple episodes of whatever cartoon the kids were watching (the adults talked or did other things while it played), Emily got up to make dinner. While JJ helped Henry with math homework, Penelope played with Ellie in the playroom. Emily paused from her task in the kitchen to ask Garcia a question, as she got near the playroom she heard Penelope talking animatedly, "You know nicknames are fun, like Ellie and Penny, but I think you should use Eloise more often, I think it's like the prettiest name." Emily smiled to herself, of course Garcia would be the one to talk her into it.

Emily popped her head around the archway that lead to the playroom, "Hey, Penelope, are you staying for dinner?" Eloise looked at her expectantly.

"What do you think Ellie, should I stay for dinner?"

The girl nodded, "Please stay Penny?"

Penelope rubbed a hand down her soft hair, "I'll stay my sweets, now what do you say we get Emily there to go get what she bought from the mall, and you can show me all of your new stuff?" Penelope looked back up to Emily, "Well? Can we?"

Emily laughed softly, "Sure, why don't you let me get dinner going and I'll bring it in." Emily walked back out after getting the affirmative from both.

Once Emily had the meat in the oven, she started boiling the water for the mashed potatoes, the meat and potatoes would take the longest so she started them early, she pulled a coat on, while the garage was heated, it could still get chilly at night. She brought back almost all of the items in one trip the only thing left was the car seat, but she could deal with that in the morning before taking Henry to school. She sorted Henry's stuff from Ellie's before taking Ellie's to her in the playroom. She set the many bags down in front of both her and Penelope. She gave the little girl a soft smile, "Have fun showing Penelope your new stuff," she turned her gaze back to Penelope, adding a more serious look, "And please pick up any mess."

"Yes ma'am!" Penny smiled at her friend, before searching through the bags. Emily grabbed the bag for Henry and brought it to the dining room where they were working. JJ was pointing to something on the page, and Henry had his concentration look on.

"Mommy it's too hard! Math is dumb!" Henry was getting frustrated. JJ looked to Emily, her eyes pleading for a little bit of help.

"Hey big man, what's the problem?" Emily set the bag at the other end of the table, sitting down by the blond boy and peaking over his shoulder at his addition chart.

"Math is hard Emmy; I can't do it." He said sadly, still concentrating hard.

"Well sure you can, you just have to get creative and find another way to count it. Can I show you a trick?" The boy nodded. "Okay draw a circle, good! Now what is the first number?"

"Six"

"Good, okay can you count out six little dashes in the circle?" She watched Henry take his time doing so. "Good, now what is the second number?"

"Three."

"Okay now do the same thing with the second number." She watched as Henry drew another circle, adding three dashes to the inside. "Okay, now count out each dash in both circles."

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine." He looked up at her hopefully, "Nine? Is the answer nine?"

"Yep! You got it right big man! See how easy it is?" Henry nodded happily, "Great now sit with Mommy and do it for the last couple of problems, I have to go finish dinner. And once you're done, you can see what's in that bag." Emily said pointing to the gift bag at the end of the table.

JJ looked up at her wife, "Thank you, I didn't even think of that, I just told him to count on his fingers." Emily leaned down and pecked JJ's lips.

"You're welcome, my love." Emily went to finish dinner.

Once everything was cooked, she got the table ready. Henry had finished his homework and was playing with his new RC car, racing it up and down the hallway as JJ watched from the playroom with Garcia and Ellie.

Once Emily had Henry's old booster seat strapped into a chair, she got a plate ready for JJ, Henry, and Ellie. She popped her head into the playroom, "Jayje? I got you and the kids' food; can you get them eating? I'm going to throw some of Ellie's new clothes in the wash so that she has her new clothes ready for today and tomorrow. Sorry Pen, you have to serve yourself." She winked at her friend.

JJ stood, "Sure thing Emmy. Henry, Ellie, ready for dinner?"

Henry jumped up from his spot in the hall, "Yeah! Come on Ellie! Emmy always cooks good!" He grabbed her hand and led her to the dining room.

When Emily got back from removing tags and putting the clothes on a cold cycle, everyone was sitting at the table, talking and laughing. She served herself some dinner and met them in the dining room. They had saved her a seat between JJ and Ellie. Beside JJ was Henry, and on the other side of Ellie was Garcia. "How's dinner?"

She got a rally of delicious and yummy's. She sat down and took a bite, it was pretty good, the roast beef was good, and the roasted vegetables were great as well. Suddenly Ellie stopped laughing and looked at Emily. "Em'ly! I have to potty!" She started squirming as she struggled against the booster seat's safety belt. Emily got her free and the small girl sprinted to the downstairs bathroom. Emily was close behind but when she pushed the door to the bathroom open, she saw Ellie with her head down, like she was crying.

"Oh honey, did you have an accident?" the little head nodded. "It's okay, let's go get you changed and you can go finish you dinner, okay?" Emily extended her hand.

A little hand squeezed against hers, and Emily led the girl up to her room. Emily found a clean pair of tiny underwear, and some leggings that should still fit the little girl. Green eyes looked into brown as Emily helped her change. "Don't tell okay? Only baby's go potty in their pants."

Emily smiled at Ellie, setting her at ease immediately, "Okay, I won't tell." Once Ellie was changed, they went back downstairs to finish their dinners.

"Everything okay?" JJ asked, blue eyes full of worry.

"We're just fine, where were we?" everyone finished dinner happily, and just as Emily promised she never told of Ellie's accident.

When everyone was done with dinner, JJ picked up dishes as Emily went to switch wash. Penelope had the kids back in the playroom, they were playing Candyland. The brunette met her wife back in the kitchen as she washed dishes. "Thank you for cleaning up baby." The brunette wrapped her arms around her wife's waist as she moved JJ's hair to one side, she trailed kisses down JJ's neck.

"You're welcome, now leave before you start something you can't finish." JJ felt Emily smile against her neck.

Emily pulled away and walked into the playroom, "Pen, you good in here? I think I'm gonna go change into some pajamas."

"We're just fine, Henry's winning though." She faked a mean look at him and stuck her tongue out, he laughed and so did Ellie. Emily smiled at the scene.

Begrudgingly she stepped away and went to her bathroom. She went to her bathroom and turned on the shower. She pulled off her days clothes and stepped under the warm spray. Half her body was sore from toting Ellie around the mall, but she didn't care, she loved that little girl already and would do anything for her. When she got done scrubbing away the minor aches, she pulled on some flannel pants and a t-shirt. She met her family and friend in the playroom. Ellie was curled up with JJ reading one of her new books. Emily saw Ellie give a big yawn. "You look about ready for bed little miss." Emily said from the doorway, looking at Ellie. It looked as though the girl was going to deny her accusation, but instead she yawned again. She nodded her head and lifted her arms when Emily came over. The brunette scooped her up easily and carried her up the stairs. "You okay for a bath?" Emily felt a small head nod into the crook of her neck.

Emily ran a warm bath and set her in it. She realized she didn't have any pajamas for her. She looked at the girl, "Stay there," Emily popped her head out of the door, "Jennifer?" She shouted, she saw her wife appear at the top of the stairs, "Can you get some pajamas from the dryer?"

"Okay, be right back." JJ turned and disappeared.

Emily finished washing Ellie's hair before JJ got back. Once she was done, Emily got Ellie out of the bath, without the warm water, her teeth started chattering quickly. Emily wrapped her in a warm, fluffy towel before carrying her to her room. Emily grabbed the still warm pajamas off the bed and a pull the social worker left for bedtimes. "Okay, you know where the bathroom is, so if you have to go to the bathroom in the night, even though you have a pull up on, try to make it there, okay?" The tired girl nodded. Once she was dressed and warm again, Emily pulled her hair brush off the dresser, she sat crisscrossed on the bed and patted in between her lap for the girl to sit there. Emily softly brushed through her long hair. Just then JJ appeared in the doorway. She smiled at them both.

Ellie turned to look up at Emily, "Do you know braids?"

Emily gave her a sad smile, "I'm sorry I don't." She looked up hopefully at her wife. "Jayje?"

The blond smiled, "Of course I know how to braid, it's all little girls in East Allegheney could do to pass the time. What kind of braid?"

"French." Ellie answered before yawning. JJ sat on the bed and Ellie shifted so that JJ could do her hair.

JJ heard Emily mumble something about the language versus braiding but didn't pay much attention to it. She focused on making the braid tight enough to stay in all night, but not be tight enough to pull on her scalp all night and make it painful in the morning. When JJ was done, she inspected her work before putting the end in a small ponytail. "Okay little one, time for bed." Emily moved off the bed to pull back the blankets.

"Why no owls?" Ellie looked at Emily scowling slightly.

Emily chuckled, "We have to wash them tomorrow, but we can put them on the bed when they are all clean, deal?"

Eloise huffed and leaned back against the pillows, "Deal."

Emily and JJ only got halfway through a bedtime story before Ellie was sound asleep. Emily and JJ kissed the sleeping girl goodnight. Emily flicked on a night light that projected stars on the wall and ceiling.

They waved goodbye to Penelope who was playing with Henry's new car when they came back down. Then they went through the bedtime process with Henry. As they were tucking him in, he looked at JJ, then Emily. "Is Ellie my new sister?" Both women were shocked for a minute.

Emily was grateful JJ seemed prepared for this question, "Well if everything goes well, she will be. But right now, she just needs a home, and people who love her. Do you think you can do that?"

Henry nodded, "I want her as my sister." With that he cuddled further under his blanket and turned on his side, away from his mom's.

Both women kissed him goodnight, and went to bed themselves, both beat from the early morning and their day in general.

The rest of their weekend went great. They all had a blast showing Ellie the small farm, she loved the baby goats. They spent a lot of time watching movies, and playing, and reading. JJ walked into the bullpen on Monday. She had left at the same time Emily left with the kids to take Henry to school. When she walked in, Penelope was perched on Morgan's desk and she told him and Spencer all about Ellie.

"She's just so darling. And she has this tiny voice, but she also speaks really well for a three-year-old. Oh, and she has these eyes, these big, green doe eyes that I could just melt into. God she's amazing!" Garcia was talking with her hands, the biggest smile on her face.

JJ made sure they knew she was in by letting her bag thump against her desk as she dropped it.

Morgan whipped around, "Now why is Baby Girl the only one who gets to meet Little Princess?"

JJ smiled, "Don't let Emily hear you call her that. Hell don't let her hear you call her that! She's quite the hard head." She laughed at herself, "A hard head who loves all things girly. You guys can meet her this weekend. We're having the whole team over on Friday for team dinner. We just needed time to adjust to her. Spread the word. The Elder Prentiss's will be there as well."

JJ sat down and began paperwork. And that is how her day dragged on. Nothing exciting happening, thankfully. When she got home, the only noise was coming from the playroom. JJ kicked of her shoes and walked down the hall. Henry and Harlan were playing with his Legos, and Jaylee and Eloise were playing with Barbies. Emily and Melissa were sitting on the couch in there, each with a glass of wine. "Long day?" Emily asked, looking into the dull eyes of her wife. She poured a glass for her wife and handed it over as JJ sat down by her.

"Just incredibly boring. How was yours?" JJ asked, moaning as the first sip of wine hit her tongue.

"Pretty much the same. Melissa watched the kids while I went over the inventories. But at least I got a couple of cute faces to look at throughout the day." She said as she leant forward and tickled Ellie and Jaylee.

JJ and Melissa joined in on the tickling. Soon Ellie and Jaylee were squealing and laughing as they both tried wiggling away.

After both kids were in bed, JJ crawled into bed with Emily, who was reading a book in bed.

Emily spoke without looking up, "We need to get Ellie into pre-school after New Year's."

"What, full time mommy exhausting?" JJ giggled, lightly nudging Emily.

"Haha," Emily said as she put her book down. "No, she's just so smart, she'd rather have me read to her all day and tell stories, rather than her watch tv or even play. She's going to be a genius. Can't you tell?"

JJ thought for a moment, "Actually yeah, today at work I talked to the team about how she speaks so well already. Henry was never that good at talking at her age. She forms more full sentences, and her words are easier to understand."

"See? Genius. I'll talk to Mother, see if she can put some feelers out." JJ nodded and went about getting settled with her own book. Emily spoke up again, "What should we do for Christmas? It's coming up fast. And I want to make it special for both kids, I know Will is planning to come up, I told him to just stay with us. It makes it so much easier for all of us. But what should we do, gift wise?"

JJ thought on it a moment, "We could get the kids matching pajamas that they can open Christmas Eve, then we can take family pictures, we will also have matching pajamas. Christmas morning, they will have a big gift that will be revealed after all the other gifts are opened. Then a big Christmas dinner with everyone. Last year Rossi got the big dinner, but I think our mansion is way better than his, what do you think?" JJ finished with a wink.

"How much have you thought about this?" Emily asked, laughing.

"Since last Christmas, why?"

"I love you." Emily kissed her wife but pulled away to yawn.

"I love you too, but we both really should get to bed, we both have boring weeks ahead. You've got business stuff, and the team isn't back into rotation until next week."

Emily and JJ cuddled into bed together, drifting into a peaceful sleep.

The rest of the week rolled around. On Friday, Hotch let the team go home early so everyone could get ready for team dinner. At home JJ could hear Emily in Eloise's room, fighting over something.

"Ellie please?" JJ could hear Emily beg.

As she got closer, she could hear Eloise whining, "Why? Why do I have to put shoes on if we're not going anywhere?"

Emily sighed, "Because people are coming for a party, it's polite to wear proper attire, now please put. On. Your. Shoes."

JJ popped through the doorway, "Emily do you know how much you sound like your mother?"

Emily glared at JJ. "Go get dressed." She nearly growled through clenched teeth.

JJ made a zipping motion at her lips, and scurried off, saving that story for later. When JJ was ready, she figured Emily most have won the fight, because Ellie was sitting on the couch in the kids' room, with shoes on. She met Emily and Melissa in the kitchen. Melissa was cooking and Emily was drinking. "I see you won the argument?" JJ said as she sat down and reached for the wine near Emily.

"Actually, you won it for me. When she saw me get mad like that she just sat down and let me put her shoes on, I think I scared her. I didn't want to scare her." Emily looked down sadly and took another gulp of wine.

JJ stroked her wife's back, "Well she's over it now, you did a good job." Before Emily could respond the doorbell rang. "Oh, the guests are here."

JJ met Emily at the door. Ellie was perched on Emily's waist and Henry ran to the foyer when he heard the bell. JJ opened the door to Spencer and Penelope.

"Aunt Penny! Uncle Spence!" Henry squealed, excited.

"Penny!" Ellie squealed too, reaching away from Emily. Garcia welcomed her into her arms.

"Hello Eloise, this is Spencer he is one of Jennifer's best friends."

"Hello." She said, turning into Garcia, tightening her grip around the peppy blonde's neck.

"Let's go play!" Penelope rest Ellie on one arm and grabbed Henry's hand with her other hand, pulling them towards the playroom.

JJ smiled at Spencer. Emily pulled him into a hug, "Oh, it's so good to see you!" Spencer and Emily walked off, talking about… something JJ probably wouldn't be interested in.

Soon, everyone was there, the Prentiss's we the last to arrive. They hugged Henry and his mom's. Edward looked towards Emily expectantly, "Well, where is she?"

"She's playing with Garcia. You know where the playroom is." Edward and Elizabeth led the way, Emily right behind them.

"Eloise, come here honey." Emily said poking her head into the playroom. Jack and Henry were playing with an assortment of Henry's toys. Eloise got down from Garcia's lap and ran into Emily's arms. Emily lifted her up, letting her rest on her hip. "Ellie, these are my parents, Edward and Elizabeth."

"Hello, I'm Eloise." The little girl stuck her hand out, like Henry showed her. Elizabeth and Edward shook it and laughed.

"Hello, aren't you darling?" Elizabeth tickled Ellie's neck, making her squeal with laughter. Eloise led Emily's parents into the playroom, telling them about the story she was reading.

Emily left to get another glass of wine. Tonight, would be a good night. Emily was sure nothing could go wrong. But as the old adage goes, man plans, and God laughs.

**A/N: So, here's this. There will be a case popping up within a couple chapters, I have an idea I just need to do more research and get it put together. Thanks for all the support, enjoy this fluffy chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This has been such a fun experience for me. I usually write most of it after a new episode of CM season 15. The show is winding down and writing my own world of it helps alleviate the pit of dread in my stomach as the show get's closer to the end. R&R. CW/TW: mentions of rape at the end.**

The party was going well, everyone was either talking, or more like arguing, in the living room, or watching the kids play in the playroom. The argument in the living room started over… something JJ was unsure of. She laughed to herself in the hallway as Morgan, Emily, and Reid continued a circular argument. JJ walked into the playroom. Hotch and Rossi had probably joined the kids to get away from the yelling. _'How ironic, that they joined the children for a moment of peace.' _ JJ thought to herself, laughing at the idea. She sat down next to Penelope, who, unsurprisingly, had Eloise in her lap. JJ saw Ellie yawn, dinner wasn't even served yet, but JJ knew the girl hadn't had a nap all day.

"Hey Ellie, are you getting tired?" JJ said stroking her hand through the girl's long hair. Ellie sat up in Garcia's lap, shaking her head. "Okay," JJ said skeptically before looking up to her friend, "Keep an eye on her please?" Edward and Elizabeth were telling Jack and Henry a tale from their foreign travels, a story Hotch and Rossi seemed very interested in too.

Just then Melissa popped her head out of the kitchen, she caught JJ in the hallway, "Oh! JJ, can you help me bring food out to the table, oh wait, we need to spread the table. Can you help with that first?"

JJ smiled at the normally composed woman looking a little frazzled. "Sure, let me grab the inserts for the table and I'll meet you in the dining room." JJ slipped past Melissa to get to the garage, she grabbed the inserts and a rag to wipe them off. JJ met Melissa in the dining room. Melissa found the latch under the table and released it, her and JJ each grabbed a side, pulling the table apart. JJ grabbed one insert, while Melissa grabbed the other. Once they laid them in the middle of the table, the each pushed their side back some, making sure the table and inserts got locked into place. "It's looking good Mel, let's get some more chairs and we can start setting out food. Not 10 minutes later, they had the dining room set up for everyone to eat.

JJ made her way to the playroom, "Okay guys, dinner is ready," JJ watched the boys run past her to the dining room, she managed to catch Eloise as she ran past, "You little miss, need to go potty before dinner." JJ walked off with her to the downstairs bathroom, tickling her as the girl squirmed in her arms. JJ and Ellie were the last ones to the dining room.

Emily had just finished serving Ellie when she JJ walked back in, Emily smiled brightly at her wife and the girl with her, "Ready for some food?" Emily asked excitedly. Emily took Ellie into her arms and buckled her into the booster seat, moving her plate in front of her and sitting down to eat herself.

JJ was in the middle of listening to Rossi's story when she looked over to Emily, who was too busy whispering sternly to Ellie to listen to Rossi's story. Before JJ could ask Emily about it, Ellie had a meltdown.

"I don't want it Em'ly!" Ellie swiped her hand across her part of the table, knocking her plate off, and her cup spilt all over the table. Emily jumped up as apple juice poured into her lap. If Emily was trying to solve whatever the issue was quietly that tactic was out the window now.

"Ellie! Be nice to my Emmy!" Henry yelled at the little girl.

Ellie starting crying at his raised voice immediately, soon cries turned into horrid screaming. Emily, still covered in juice, stood suddenly, in one fluid motion she was out of her chair, unbuckling Ellie from hers and carrying the girl up the stairs. Everyone sat in silence as they heard heaving footsteps creaking the floor above them, the screaming faded as the steps moved. They heard a door slam. JJ began trying to wipe up all the juice.

"Jennifer, let me get that." JJ looked up as the warm hand of Elizabeth touched her shoulder.

"There's more towels in the kitchen if you need them." JJ muttered as she stood from her seat. JJ make her way up the steps quickly. JJ peeked through Ellie's door; she saw Emily pulling some pajamas on the little girl. JJ could see her wife was upset but trying not to scare the girl. Emily sat silently as she put clothes on Ellie, her face devoid of emotion as she did so. JJ stepped into the room. "Let me get her in bed, you can go change." JJ spoke to Emily softly, stroking the older woman's hair.

Emily stood without a word and left the room. JJ got Eloise in bed and went back down to the party. Everyone was still quiet in the dining room. "Everything okay?" Morgan asked as she sat back down. Elizabeth must have found what she needed because the table was clean. JJ looked into the worried brown eyes of her friend.

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure Emily will fill me in when she gets back down here." JJ took a drink of her wine.

Within a couple of minutes, Emily made her way back down to the dining room, in a different pair of pants. She sat back at her seat and gulped down the rest of her wine. Everyone watched her in silence as she poured herself another full glass. After what seemed like the longest thirty seconds of their lives, Emily looked up at her friends and family. "She was overtired and didn't want to eat her spinach salad. Tantrums are to be expected with three-year-old's." Again, Emily's lack of emotion worried JJ, but now wasn't the time to ask about it.

No body was ready to speak, but Elizabeth had other ideas, "Ah, you've got a head strong little girl. Serves you right." The older woman continued eating as if that was a perfectly normal thing to say, she looked up into all the eyes boring into her, "What? You've met Emily, imagine her stubbornness multiplied by ten but in a very tiny, big-eyed package."

Emily was the first to laugh, surprising everyone. Soon everyone followed, laughter filled the room, JJ saw the warmth creep back into her wife's eyes. "Mom, is that what you call comforting?" Emily said after the laughter died down.

"No dear," Elizabeth returned a warm smile, "That's what I call vindication."

Another round of laughter filled the room. JJ looked up to her friends, "Let me tell you about what happened when I got home."

Emily remembered immediately, "Jennifer, don't you dare!"

"Oh, babe you knew this would come up." She returned her attention to her waiting friends, "So I came home, the ground floor was deserted. When I got up the stairs, I could hear Emily in Ellie's room. She was practically begging Ellie to put her shoes on. I popped my head in, just in time to see Eloise sat on her bed, Emily crouched in front of her. Ellie had her arms crossed on her chest, she looked Emily right in the eyes and said 'Why do I have to put shoes on? We're not going anywhere.' Emily said," JJ paused and turned to her wife. "Emmy dear, why don't you tell them?"

All eyes were on an embarrassed brunette, "I told her that it as polite to wear proper attire." She mumbled looking away from her parents.

JJ cracked up, "I told her she sounded like her mother. Oh my god she got so mad!" The rest of the team laughed at the story.

Edward tried his best to suppress his chuckle, but he failed. He burst into a laugh that filled the room. "You know I used to tell Lizzy the same thing. Did Emmy tell you to go away through gritted teeth? That was Elizabeth's warning shot."

JJ laughed harder, nodding her head, "She did!"

The rest of dinner went by without another hitch. Just as the night was winding down, Hotch's work phone rang. He rolled his eyes. "Hotchner." He answered his phone shortly. "Yes sir," he held up his hand to stop Rossi from saying his farewell's "We'll brief on the plane sir. Yes sir, goodbye." He hung up and irritated eyes met the curious eyes of his team. "We have a case. It's emergent. Go home, get a bag, and meet at the airport. Garcia, you're traveling with us, so pack a bag and any equipment you need." Garcia nodded. "Emily, I hate to do this, but can Jack stay here? I gave Jessica the weekend because I was supposed to be off."

"Not a problem sir, we will have plenty of fun, right boys?" She looked to where the boys were sitting on the couch, having a little boy conversation about God knows what.

"Thank you, team try to be less than an hour." He got a couple of nods as the team left to get what they need. Hotch was the last to go, he needed to say goodbye to Jack. He pulled Jack in for a hug. "I love you buddy. You'll stay with Emily this weekend. If I'm still gone when Jessica gets back, she'll get you, sound good?"

Jack hugged his dad back, "Sounds good daddy. Get the bad guy."

JJ found Emily in the hallway, "I hate that I have to leave so soon already. Will you be okay?" Emily pulled JJ in for a hug. "We'll be okay. Don't worry about us, just focus on staying safe and catching whatever freak is out there. Call if you need anything, okay?" Emily felt JJ nod into her neck.

JJ pulled back and kissed Emily sweetly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Emily rested her forehead against JJ's for a moment as they shared a sweet moment.

Their moment was cut short when Emily's parents stepped into the hall. "Do you want us to stay, Emmy?" Edward asked, rubbing a hand down Emily's back.

"No dad, I'll be fine for the night. It'll be just like the normal sleepover nights. But, if it makes you feel better, I'll call if I need you guys." Emily affirmed her parents before she walked them out. When everyone was gone, Emily began trying to pick up. The last bit of the night had given her a headache.

JJ came down the stairs, her go bag in hand. "Honey just go to bed. The boys are up playing in Henry's room. You can put them to bed, I'm sure they are as beat as you." JJ pulled Emily in for a hug and kiss. "I love you. Enjoy the weekend. Call if you need anything." Emily just hugged her harder.

Soon, JJ was gone. The house was quiet and empty as she finished picking up. The only noise that could be heard was the soft talking of the boys up in Henry's room. When Emily got finished, she trudged up the stairs, peaking her head into the boy's room.

"Hey guys, time for bed. Jack, your dad brought a bag by. It's in your room." Of the five upstairs bedrooms, three were ready for kids if they needed it. Emily was grateful she didn't have to put Jack in the guest room. Jack got up to leave, "I'll be in to say goodnight in a bit, think you can wait up for me?" Emily winked at the boy before he could leave the room. She got Henry in pajamas and tucked into bed, reading him a story before kissing him goodnight. She repeated the process with Jack. She made her way to her room but stopped in Ellie's room before she let herself sleep. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and noticed Ellie was a little warm. She put the inside of her wrist to the girls exposed forehead to confirm her theory. Ellie had a low fever. Emily would keep and eye on her.

In her room, Emily stripped and pulled on a t-shirt and some fleece leggings, she moaned when she could finally crawl into bed for the night. Sleep took her fast, usually she would roll around when Jennifer was gone, but her day was long, and her body was exhausted.

Once everyone arrived at the jet, Hotch let the pilots know they could leave. "I hope you guys packed warm." He deadpanned his team. He suppressed a grin when he heard them all moan and groan.

"Why do I never get to travel on trips to Florida?!" Garcia was already irritated.

"Because Florida already has up to date communication." He answered not looking up from his file.

"Where are we going, the North Pole?" Morgan asked sarcastically.

Hotch looked up and sighed, "We're going to Wyoming. We need Garcia because that whole state is like a dead zone for communications. There's been a series of brutal rapes in Gillette, Wyoming. The state does not have the resources to take care of this and have asked for urgent assistance."

Reid interrupted, "According to the national census figure, Wyoming is the least populated state in the country with an estimated 544,270 residents spread over more than 97,000 square miles. Statistically speaking it is highly unlikely for a major serial crime. How are we sure it's not just a crime surge being perpetuated into a serial by local law enforcement?"

"Well just take a look at all the victims," Morgan spoke up, pointing to his file. "All the women are blond, between the ages of 18 and 24. That definitely a point towards a serial."

"That's not all," Hotch spoke again, "There is a very distinct MO; Each woman is left unconscious and naked in a church, different churches, so the religious aspect probably isn't as important to him. Each woman reported that the guy wore a mask, one of those white, faceless masks. They each reported that he told them to call him 'daddy'."

"Fucking perv," JJ muttered under her breath.

"Agreed, also another sign to serial is that he left DNA on all the victims. Preliminary results show it's the same DNA, but they need the state lab to confirm it. Thankfully, Gillette has a regional airport we've been cleared to fly into. Local law enforcement will provide some cars. Let's try to get some rest before we land." Hotch told them with finality.

JJ groaned and stretched out the best she could, she was tired, and she knew this would be a tough case. Soon sleep took her, and the rest of team. With the rest of the world asleep, one rural town in Wyoming was being terrorized. This had to end.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank y'all so much for the support. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! I'm a native to Wyoming so all facts about are true and what I live through every day. This chapter is on of my longer ones. CW/TW: mentions of rape, I tried to not get to much into it, but could still be triggering. **

The team touched down at Gillette Regional Airport in the early morning. "All right team," Hotch drew the attention of his tired team, "We're going to hit the ground running so I hope you got as much sleep as you can. JJ, you and Reid interview victims. On that note, no one is to talk to the victims without either JJ or a female officer present, is that understood?" He got nods from all of his team, "Good, we don't need traumatized victims unable to feel comfortable. Morgan, Rossi, I want you to visit the crime scenes, both at the kidnap cites and the churches they were found. Garcia, you'll set up where we are. Along with your regular duties, you'll oversee communications between the team. I will be trying to tackle the media. This is a small town, a small state even. We need to try and tackle the panic this town is feeling."

As soon as they stepped off the plane, their breath was taken away. A strong gust of icy wind blew its way to JJ's core. "Holy shit it's cold here."

"Oh my god!" Garcia shrieked as the cold gust hit her, "This is hell. Hell has frozen over and I'm in it!" She grabbed her stuff and rushed into the small terminal. JJ one step ahead of her.

Reid was close behind them, as soon as they were away from the cold, Reid spoke, "It's actually not that cold here, temperature is right at thirty degrees. It's only a few degrees colder than Maryland. The difference is the wind and humidity. Wyoming is what most meteorologists call a 'wind vortex'. The topography of the state itself and the placement of it causes regular windstorms of up to 70 mph. The whole state is basically a desert, so this state is empty and dry, which furthers the winds effect and causes the windchill that makes it seem so much colder. Also, since we are acclimated to a more humid environment you make experience dry and flaky skin and nose bleeds."

"Oh god this is awful." Garcia exclaimed, shivering from the mere idea of stepping back outside.

Everyone had gathered around by the start of Reid's speech. Morgan gave him an incredulous look "Nose bleeds?"

Reid nodded, "The constant cold and dry exposure can cause the inside of your nose to dry out and crack. Same for exposed parts of skin, especially the hands and face."

Rossi shook his head, "Why would anyone want to live here?"

Before Reid had the chance to answer with facts about crime and cost of living versus average household income, one uniformed officer and a Sheriff's Deputy walked up to them.

"Are you guys with the FBI?" The female deputy asked.

Hotch gave her a firm nod and stuck his hand out to shake the officers, "I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner, these are SSA's David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, and Dr. Spencer Reid."

"I'm Sheriff's Deputy Clark, and this is Officer Hamel of the Gillette Police Department." They all shook hands, "We haven't got a lot of unmarked vehicles, but we've managed to wrangle up two for you all to use, will that be enough?"

Hotch nodded, "We'll take what we can get. JJ, Reid, Garcia, you'll will come with me in one car, the victims have been asked to come to the police station. Morgan, Rossi, you can take the other vehicle."

"We've got an unmarked Dodge Durango for you and one of the departments new Dodge Ram's."

Morgan's eyes lit up and he leaned closer to Hotch, "Dibs on the truck." He whispered just loud enough for his Unit Chief to hear. Hotch rolled his eyes and handed the truck keys to Morgan.

"Alright, you've got your assignment's. Go" Hotch left no room for arguments.

Emily stretched out after she woke up. She looked at the clock by her bed, squinting for her eyes to adjust. 7:13. Her head started to pound; she must have had more wine than she thought. Emily got up and pulled on her robe. She made her way to the bathroom and took some aspirin from the medicine cabinet. She made her way downstairs. She was happy to see Mel already working in the kitchen.

Warm brown eyes met Emily's, "Good morning! How you feeling?" the volume of Melissa's voice shot another searing pain through Emily's head. Emily groaned and put her hand on her head. "That bad, huh?" Emily merely nodded her response. "Well coffee is ready, and breakfast will be done soon. I'm just finishing the French toast. Why don't you get some caffeine and grease in you before you wake the kids? Bacon's on the table."

After Emily had done just as Mel had said, she was feeling much better. Whether the aspirin had kicked in or bacon really was a hangover cure, she didn't know. But whatever it was worked. She made her way up the stairs. She grabbed her phone off her nightstand, checked the time and shoved it into her robe pocket. She woke up Jack and Henry first, they would take care of getting themselves down for breakfast. When she walked into Eloise's room, she sat down by her on the bed. Emily brushed back a strand of long hair. As she grazed Ellie's forehead, she noticed the girl was burning up. She doubled checked by putting her wrist to the girl's forehead. She had hoped the night before that Ellie's slight fever would resolve overnight. It only got worse.

Emily sighed and ran her hand along Ellie's back to gently wake her, "Ellie, Ellie honey wake up. Breakfast is ready."

For the week Ellie had been with them, the girl never had an issue waking up. Today she rolled further to her side and groaned. Not bothering to open her eyes. "Ellie, can you get up for me? Melissa made French toast." Emily prodded again, hoping the promise of sweets for breakfast could rouse the 3-year-old.

Finally, green eyes met deep brown, "Em'ly, I don't feel good."

Emily's heart broke as the little girl whined, "What's wrong, honey?"

"My tummy hurts." Emily immediately felt a tightening in her chest.

"How does it hurt?" Emily remembered one of her nanny's always asking that to gauge if she was going to be okay or if it was urgent.

Ellie weakly pushed the blanket aside and pointed to her lower right side, "Right here, it feels like pulling."

Emily knew immediately that she had to take her to a doctor. Her plans for an easy day at home was ruined. "Okay, let's try to get you to eat and I'll make a doctor's appointment."

Ellie nodded, but made no move to get up. Emily extended her arms to pick her up. She stood, the light girl in her arms. Ellie immediately wrapped her legs around Emily's waist, her arms around Emily's neck, and rested her head on Emily's shoulder. Emily knew Ellie must feel really bad, Eloise was always energetic, animated. It must take a lot to knock the girl down to this.

She made Ellie sit down and try to eat some food and drink some water. Emily was in for a long day.

JJ flashed Kaitlyn Adams a sympathetic smile. She was the rapist's most recent victim, and the youngest. She had barely turned 18 when she was raped. "Hi Kaitlyn. I'm Jennifer, but you can call me JJ. This is my friend Spencer. We're here to help find who hurt you. Are you up to it?"

Kaitlyn nodded and JJ saw her physically put herself in a more protected position. Before they came into the office she was in, Kaitlyn was leaning forward in the chair, arms relaxed in her lap, legs uncrossed, one bouncing. As soon as they had entered, Kaitlyn crossed her legs, and folded her arms against her waist. She was, probably unconsciously, signally that she was scared, and didn't trust the new faces she saw.

Reid picked up on the shift and sat as far away from her as possible. The muscle tension eased slightly as she saw him sit further away, but she did not yield her protective stance. JJ would take the lead, he just needed to be there to take notes of any ticks or micro reactions that JJ may not pick up on.

"Okay let's start with you telling us your story, we'll interject with any questions, does that sound okay?" JJ made sure to explain everything that she would ask and do. It was imperative for the sanity of the victims that she have them consent to everything, to help them gain back any semblance of their lost control. "If you feel overwhelmed or like you need a break at all, just let us know and we'll stop for a bit." Kaitlyn nodded. "Okay, can you start by telling us where you were when you were taken and just go from there?"

"I was at the hi-high school." Her voice came out soft and weak. JJ nodded and urged her to continue. "Me and my friends were at the basketball tournament. It's our senior year and me and my friends are on student council and it was our turn to help run the meet. Like the concessions, entrance, and the score board. Usually it's fun." Kaitlyn looked down as she said the last part, she wiped away a stray tear and continued to stare at the floor, though it's not like she was making constant eye contact anyway. "Jackie and Suzanne, my friends, left before me. I was stuck with concessions, so I had to stay after the game a bit to make sure everything was cleaned up well. They had drove together, but I knew I'd be late, so I didn't want them to have to wait up and I drove myself. I was heading out to my car, I parked on the side of the school to avoid the traffic as the game got out. Right as I was almost to my car, I felt someone behind me."

JJ stopped Kaitlyn from continuing. "What do you mean by that?"

"I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up, like when you feel someone staring at you."

JJ nodded, "So you never saw or heard anything? No shadows, no rustling of trees?"

Kaitlyn closed her eyes trying to remember. "No, it was windy, it couldn't hear much, and I had my head down to push through it."

Reid leaned closer to JJ, "Ask her about any smells. Smells can trigger memories." He whispered to JJ.

"Kaitlyn, did you smell anything odd?"

Again, she closed her eyes, finally the popped back open, "Soap. Like the kind my dad uses. He works in the oil field and it's like heavy duty. I didn't think much of it because the side parking lot is by the autos and welding area, but I've never smelled it before."

JJ smiled, "Good, great job. Can you tell me what happened after that?"

"I felt a pinch in my neck and then I got tunnel vision and the world faded to black."

"What happened when you woke up?" JJ asked softly.

Kaitlyn wiped another tear away and looked down at her nails as she picked at her cuticles. "I woke up on a concrete floor."

"How did you know it was concrete?"

"I tried to move but when I dragged my arm up, it cut into it. It felt like when I fell off my bike as a kid and scraped my knee on the sidewalk."

"Okay, what happened after that?"

"I tried to look around, but I saw him. He was sitting in a chair nearby just watching me. He had this creepy fucking mask on. He said, 'Glad to see your awake baby.'" Kaitlyn started crying.

JJ leaned forward slightly, "Kaitlyn do you need a minute?"

The girl shook her head and took a shaky breath, "I'm okay."

JJ nodded, "Okay, what happened after that. I know it's hard, but I need as many details as possible. Just try your best."

Kaitlyn described her horrific story only needing to stop once for a glass of water after the crying left her hoarse. JJ spoke after she finished, "You did so good Kaitlyn. You are so brave. That's all we need from you today. Are you okay to go home?"

"Yeah, my mom is picking me up." Kaitlyn pulled her arms tighter around herself as JJ and Reid left.

Once out of the room, Reid turned to JJ, "He's a classic power reassurance rapist. He told them to tell him they liked it, and to call him daddy." Both shivered at the gross fetishization. "Her description of his smell could really help us, let's make sure we ask the others about that too."

They spent the rest of their morning interviewing traumatized you women, and it wasn't easy on any of them.

Emily sat in her living room, holding a crying Ellie after breakfast. Eating seemed to make it worse and Emily's heart broke seeing her so hurt. She pulled her phone out, she clicked the phone symbol on Sarah Daye's contact. After a couple rings she heard an answer, "This is Sarah."

"Hi Sarah, this is Emily Prentiss."

"Oh! Mrs. Prentiss, is everything alright?"

"Um, no. Ellie seems very sick, I suspect an appendix issue but I'm no doctor. I wanted to know what to do when I set her up an appointment?"

Sarah sighed, sounding slightly relieved. "You can set up an appointment with any doctor, just make sure they take Medicaid as an insurance for her. Any co-pays can be reimbursed in the mail."

"Okay, thank you. Sorry to call on your Saturday."

"It's not problem, the work never really stops, call if you have any more questions."

"Will do, thank you." After they exchanged farewell's Emily hung up.

She decided to call the doctor next. After she had an appointment with the once clinic nearby that was opened on a Saturday and took Medicaid, she had another issue to sort out. She couldn't take Jack and Henry to the doctor with her, and she didn't officially pay Melissa to babysit, and last minute didn't seem like the way to ask. Finally, she settled on her parents. They may bore the boys to death, but they will keep them safe and alive.

The phone barely rang once before it was picked up, "Emmy, is everything alright?"

"Yes dad, for the most part. But I do need some help."

"Anything darling." Emily always thought her father was warmer than her mom, but since their retirement, it's like both were itching for something to do all the time.

"Ellie is pretty sick, and I have an appointment with her in an hour. Do you think you and mom can come over and watch the boys for a bit?"

"Oh dear, is she okay?"

"I'm sure she will be."

"We'll head your way now."

Emily sighed out of relief, "Thank you dad. See you soon."

Emily forgot how close her parents lived now, they were at her house impossibly soon. She was still on the couch with Ellie. When the doorbell rang, she moved to get up, but Ellie groaned in protest. "Come in!" Emily hollered.

The elder Prentiss's let themselves in, Elizabeth made it to the living room first, she gasped at how sad Ellie looked. "Oh, you look pitiful Eloise." She smoothed Ellie's hair and kissed her forehead before doing the same to Emily. "Emmy, dear, why don't you go get ready and I'll help Ellie do the same."

Elizabeth moved for Ellie to grab her and carried her upstairs to her room. Emily looked at her dad, "Where is my mother and what has she done with her?" Emily laughed and so did Edward.

"Your mother has gotten soft in her old age." He paused, "But you never heard me call her old, got it?" They both laughed again, and Emily nodded. "Now where are the boys?"

"They are out back playing with Harlan and Graiden. They went out to feed the goats." Edward rolled his eyes.

"You're really doing the whole hobby farm thing?" He winked at his daughter.

"What the wife wants the wife gets." Emily laughed.

"What a good spouse Emmy. Now, go get dressed before your mother slips back to her old ways and scolds you for not having it done already." Emily mocked a salute at her dad and went to change.

After Emily was ready, she sent a quick text to Jen.

**E: Ellie is sick, taking her to the doctor now. I'll keep you updated.**

**J: What's wrong? I can be on the first plan out.**

**E: Babe, you are in the butt fuck of nowhere, I got this. Love you.**

**J: Okay, call if it's serious. I love you.**

Emily smiled at JJ's fierce sense of protectiveness. She headed down the hall only to hear noises still coming from Ellie's room. She walked in and saw Elizabeth propped on the bed, holding Ellie and singing softly. "Are you singing 'Stella, Stellina?' I used to love that one."

Elizabeth looked up and smiled, "I know. She started crying when I tried to help her get dressed. I didn't think of anything else, but when your dad would sing this to you, it would always make you stop crying so I gave it a try. Seems like it worked. Is she asleep?"

Emily leaned over to see, "She's out, thank you. Can you carry her to the car?"

Emily made it to the doctor's without incident. But in the waiting room, all hell broke loose.

Ellie was working herself up too much despite Emily's best efforts to keep her calm. Ellie started to cry, loudly. She got looks from everyone in the waiting room. Most sympathetic or even concerned but one older woman sitting next to her seemed to be getting more upset than the crying toddler on Emily's shoulder.

"Excuse me, could you make her stop?" The woman asked. Her tone one of contempt.

Immediately, anger bubbled within Emily. "My daughter is sick. She's three and she's in pain and she's scared. Don't you dare try and make her or me feel bad about it. Why do you think we came here in the first place? If you have a problem with it, then leave. But I'm not going to tell her she can't feel what she's feeling because it makes _**you**_ uncomfortable."

The woman looked shocked at Emily's fierceness. She opened her mouth and closed it a couple times, seeming to not be able to answer. Instead, she just stood and moved to a different seat. The doctor came out before Emily could stew on her rage, "Eloise?"

Emily stood and carried Ellie to the exam room.

The doctor looked at Emily and the girl she carried, "What seems to be the issue, her chart says she has lower right quadrant abdominal pain?"

Emily nodded and told the doctor what Ellie had said that morning, as well as her overall misery throughout the day.

"Do you think you can get her to lay on the table? I want to feel around."

Ellie was too weak to fight it much. The doctor pushed down on her stomach where Eloise said the pain was, as soon as the doctor pushed down, Ellie seemed to relax more. When the doctor eased off the pressure, Ellie began crying harder than before.

"It seems like appendicitis; I'll have a tech bring in the portable ultrasound so we can get a picture of what we're looking at."

While they waited, Emily held Ellie again. Ellie leaned back to look at Emily. "Em'ly, why was the woman outside so mean?"

Emily softened her eyes at the girl, "Some people just don't have compassion for others."

"Thank you for protecting me."

"I'll always protect you Eloise. Always." Emily rubbed Ellie's back as she leaned into Emily again.

Soon the doctor was back with the ultrasound. After the doctor got it into position, her suspicions were confirmed. "yep, looks like appendicitis. Her appendix is pretty swollen. It's not at a critical level yet, but it does require immediate attention. You have a couple of options, a course of IV antibiotics and fluids, or surgery. Either way she gets a hospital trip." The doctor gave Emily a sympathetic look. "I'll call ahead and have them ready for you. They'll probably run some more tests, but the video of the ultrasound will spare you of that. I'm sorry we couldn't do more.

Emily had a dear in the headlights look, "Shit, I have to call Jennifer." Emily was hoping for a prescription of antibiotics. Her short doctors' trip was going to take much longer. "Shit, and my parents." Emily was mumbling to herself. Emily made her way to the car, not sure who to call first. Today was going to be a long day.

**A/N: Any medical inaccuracies are because I'm not a doctor, just trying to pull as much memory back from my anatomy course two years ago! R&R if you feel like it.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey, y'all. I know this took forever. I could give an excuse, but it truly is just who I am as a person. Anyway, enjoy! As always reviews are welcome, and these aren't my characters, blah blah blah.**

Emily picked up her phone and decided to call her parents first. She called her mom's cell and got no answer. This was not surprising. Ever since her parents retired, Elizabeth was constantly losing her phone. She called her dad. Still no answer. That's when a small twinge of panic set it. She called Melissa, who answered almost immediately. "Hey Mel, can you get the phone to my parents, neither answered when I called."

"Sure, I'll have to go to the main house. How is she doing?" Emily could hear shuffling noises as Mel talked.

"Not good. We have to go to the hospital. She may need surgery which is totally not something I wanted to have to deal with today." Emily groaned. "She has appendicitis which is really taking a toll on her body."

"Oh, the poor baby, oh, here's your dad."

"Hey Emmy, we just got in from the stables, Henry really loves that horse of his. Are you gonna teach him to ride?" Edward barely left room for Emily to answer.

"Yeah, but that's not why I'm calling. I may need you and Mom to stay for way longer than expected."

Emily heard her father sharply inhale breath, "Is it bad? Will she be okay?"

"Dad she's fine, she has appendicitis and no matter what we choose for treatment she needs a hospital trip. Is there any way you guys can stay with the boys for longer than expected? I don't want to ruin any plans you may have made but I don't know how long we'll be, and I can't j-"

Emily was cut off by her father, "Emily, calm down dear. We'll stay as long as you need."

Edward heard his daughter sigh with relief. "Thank you so much dad. I have to go and call Jennifer before we reach the hospital. I love you."

"I love you too, good-bye."

Emily hung up with the hands-free button on her steering wheel. She looked in the rear-view mirror to see Ellie asleep. She called JJ and right as Emily thought it would go to voicemail, JJ answered. "Hey baby, I don't have a lot of time. What's up?"

Emily gave JJ a run-down of all that was happening. "That's it, I'm hijacking the jet and coming home right now."

"No Jennifer, you don't need to do that. I can handle this, my parents are with the boys, I got this."

Emily heard JJ sigh, "Emily, our child is sick, really sick and may need surgery. I've just finished all the interviews with the victims. I am coming home."

"JJ stop. You are working a serial rapist case. There will be more, you can't leave. Maybe if there was another female on the team they could help. But that isn't where you're at. They need your expertise. Stay and do your job, then maybe you can take a few days and help her recuperate. I love you, now go get the bad guy so you can come home."

JJ sighed; she knew her wife was right. She had to stay for this case. "Okay, I hope we can get done fast. I love you, keep me updated."

After JJ hung up, irritation started to bubble underneath her, she stormed into the conference room where Hotch was. He looked at her, "Everything alright?"

"No, it's not. You need to hire another female profiler." JJ huffed out without further explanation.

"Why now? The team has been working well so far."

"Now because Eloise has appendicitis and I can't go home to help her and Emily because I'm the only female profiler we have. Emily talked me into to staying, and you are so lucky she did, because if she had asked me to come home, I would have left this fucking boys club to walk on eggshells through the rest of this case. Now, are you going to hire another female profiler?"

"I'll get right on it when we get back. You're right, we can't let ourselves be put in this position again." JJ nodded to him, "Oh and JJ?" she brought her eyes back up to meet his, "I'm sorry Ellie is sick, but please remember I'm your commanding officer, so maybe not call my unit a 'fucking boys club'?" He finished with a wink, letting JJ know he was only half serious.

"Yes sir."

Emily carried Ellie into the hospital. When she gave the intake nurse her name, she was taken right back. The clinic had called to let them know ahead of time. Emily set Ellie down on the bed and covered her with blankets. Two nurses, whose names Emily didn't catch, were checking all the vitals of the sick toddler. Emily sat and watched, she was so consumed with worry, she couldn't breathe.

"Ms. Prentiss?" The dark nurse pulled her out of her spiral. "We're going to get her set up with IV fluids, that way whatever course the doctor feels is best it's already prepped."

"Okay." Emily moved her chair closer to the bed, she softly kissed Ellie's forehead. "Ellie, honey." Her green eyes were duller than before but the looked sadly into Emily's deep brown. "The nurses need to give you some medicine under your skin. It'll be kind of like a shot. DO you think you can handle it?"

"Em'ly. I'm scared, I don't want a shot." Ellie began to cry again, and it broke Emily's heart. She wrapped Ellie into the best hug she could give at their angles.

"It's okay, I'll be right here. Just look at me, do you want me to tell you a story?" Ellie nodded. Before Emily started, she looked towards the nurses and gave a slight nod. It was a silent way to indicate for them to wait until the little girl was preoccupied to begin anything. Emily smiled at the little girl, wracking her brain for a story. Finally, the best she could come up with popped into her head. "Once upon a time, in a land not too far away, there lived two beautiful princesses. They came from different kingdoms. The princesses met on a magical flying carriage. With one look they fell in love."

"Two princesses can love each other?" Eloise asked, her attention transfixed on the story.

"Of course! It happens all the time. The two princesses loved each other from a far. One was already to be wed to a Prince from her Kingdom, the smaller kingdom of Allegheny. The other princess from Romea, had no one to love her yet, so every time they both ended up on the flying carriage, the princess from Romea would watch the beautiful princess of Allegheny. Before they knew it, they found secret places to meet: an inn, a saloon, a market. They loved each other so much. But the Princess of Romea worried about her heart. The other princess was ready to be wed, she was ready for her own kingdom. Romea thought there was no one she could ask Allegheny to sacrifice all that. But Allegheny had her own worries. Romea was a high society Kingdom, she worried she couldn't find a place to fit in Romea's world. Romea hid from her love, she ran across the world because she was scared. Allegheny tracked her down and made her go home, to a place that loved Romea. Allegheny promised that her future husband didn't want a wedding anymore. She promised Romea that her heart would always be protected, and then do you know what happened?" Emily asked the enthralled girl as the nurses found a viable vein.

"Happily, ever after?"

"Happily, ever after." Emily confirmed. Ellie didn't even notice the IV go in.

"Okay, Ms. Prentiss, we will send the doctor in." The nurse smiled at the pair.

"Okay, thank you." The brunette smiled back. "Now Eloise, why don't you try to get some rest."

"Guys, this doesn't make any sense." Spencer spoke as he stared at the board. "He's a classic power-reassurance rapist, but he also goes far enough to add some forensic counter measures. His conflicting ideals make me think this about more than just his personal power dynamic."

Morgan folded his arms and nodded, everyone else on the team listening closely as well. "Alright, what are you thinking?"

"The DSM-5 describes sexual sadism as the physical or emotional pain of a sexual partner. I believe he is married. A power-reassurance rapist couldn't maintain a healthy relationship, so we discounted a spouse. Most people with paraphilic disorders start fantasizing at 13 and never act on it. What if he's had these fantasies but forced them away so he could maintain what he saw as a normal relationship? And what if something happened to his partner that harmed her sexually? Then he would have to watch her constant pain. That could have triggered something in him that desired to cause the same pain. I don't think what he makes them say is power-reassurance, I think it's a fetish. If it was truly about the power, he would make sure they knew who he was. He wouldn't hide his face." Everyone thought quietly for a minute.

JJ spoke up, "So he has more than one paraphilic disorder? Sexual Sadism and Fetishism?"

Reid nodded, "Most people with one have others. He probably also has frotteurism. It should be noted that the DSM does not include rape in its list of paraphilic disorders. He has just taken his own and perverted them to justify his actions."

Hotch nodded, that would explain the conflicting ideals. "A power-reassurance rapist doesn't normally care about getting caught. He wants to hurt as many people as possible for however long he can, but a sexual-gratification rapist just wants sex. He would be more cautious about evidence and wouldn't repeatedly offend. This unsub is kind of in between."

"According to Groth's typology of the goal of a rapist, I believe our unsub is a sadistic rapist, with crossing patterns of a sexual gratification rapist described by Barton-Bellessa." Reid corrected.

Hotch pulled his phone out, "Garcia. I need you to run a search of married women raped within the last year."

"Uh, sir," She said, her voice carrying to the others through speaker phone. "That's going to be a hard search, not to mention the appalling number of unreported rapes each year."

"I know, based on the profile, our unsub has some understanding of the process legally. It was reported. Check open and closed cases for women whose primary residence is Gillette. Also, cross check the husbands with access to tranquilizing drugs that metabolize quickly."

"Aye-aye cap'n." The click of a receiver handing up let everyone know she had hung up.

"Alright, we have to deliver the profile. Based on his pattern of escalation, we need to catch him before he gets another victim."

Emily saw a handsome young doctor walk into the room, "Hi, you must be Ms. Prentiss. I'm the on-call peds doctor tonight, Dr. Mitchell West. I'm going to use my trusty device here," He pulled a portable ultrasound out of his coat pocket. "And we will see how severe the infection is. I'd like to avoid surgery at all costs." Ellie wiggled around uncomfortably as he checked her stomach. "Alright, I'm going to order some IV antibiotics and have a nurse check the swelling in an hour. If it looks less swollen by then we'll do a blood test to check her white blood cell counts and then probably send her home with oral antibiotics. If it doesn't look less angry in an hour, we'll have to come up with a new course of action. Based on it's appearance now, I'm hopeful."

Emily stood and shook his hand, "Thank you."

Hotch quickly answered his phone, "What do you have Garcia?"

"Okay, I just got a name from your search, turns out rural Wyoming doesn't have a lot of married women who were raped and whose spouse is a veterinarian."

"Hey, baby girl, can you see if all our victims have pets?" Morgan asked.

"Already done, each person has visited North East Wyo Vet Services shortly before being abducted. Though they didn't see the same doctor."

"It doesn't matter, he could see them in the waiting room and feel the need to act." Hotch answered gruffly, "Garcia. A name?"

"Adam Bierman. Picture, work and home addresses are already in your tablet."

The team split up and JJ looked to Hotch who was driving, "The latest victim said she smelled a soap her dad uses. But he works in the oilfield. Why would a vet use it?"

"Actually," Reid leaned forward from the back seat, "A lot of different soaps can smell similar. The victims described it as a citrus scent. It's also possible that the unsub just uses a similar smelling product."

Morgan and Rossi were checking at the Vet clinic, even though it was after hours.

The others pulled up to the Bierman house. Uniformed officers pulled beside them. After handing out tactical assignments, Hotch led his team to the front door, while JJ took hers to the back.

They apprehended Adam Bierman quickly and fairly easily. JJ felt a shiver run through her body at the smug smile he had as Hotch led him out. In that moment, JJ knew, without a doubt, that they caught the bastard.

"Okay guys, we've been awake for more than 24 hours. Let's hit the hotel. We'll fly back out tomorrow at 10:00. Meet in the lobby." As the exhaustion caught up to the team, they all headed back to the hotel.

JJ dropped her go-bag on the bed and lazily opened it. She needed sleep. She could shower tomorrow. As she rifled around for her pajamas, she brushed up against what felt like a piece of paper. Curiosity got the best of her and she fished it out. She unfolded it carefully. A smile hit her as she saw what it was. It was a finger painting from last weekend. It had the house, or a 6-year-old's rendition of it. It was full of color. In front of the house was the whole family, including all the animals in stick figures. JJ was about to put it away when she saw the writings in crayon on the back.

"I have a new sister. She makes Mommy and Mama Emmy happy. Sometimes she cries, but that's okay. Mommy told me it's okay to cry. I love my family." JJ did her best to figure out the note. It was difficult due to his spelling and handwriting, but she was used to that by now. On the bottom of the note it read, "Henry, age 6."

JJ felt the tears hit her. She pulled the picture close to her. She was sad she had to be away from her family. But she was also filled with pride for her son. At only six, he knew Ellie would be in his life as a sister. This was his way of letting that out, without having to talk about it. He saw Emily as a mother figure. JJ new that he did, but she suspected from his behavior that he wasn't ready to admit it yet. She didn't think she was even supposed to end up with it.

She knew it was 2:00 a.m. back in D.C. but she couldn't not call Emily at a time like this.

"Hello?" Emily answered, sleep clear in her raspy voice.

"Em, hey it's me." Emily heard her wife sniffle.

"Jayje? Is everything alright?"

"Everything is so good, and I love you so much. I just had to tell you that."

Emily sat up in bed, smiling to herself. "What has got this coming up now?"

"I just found a painting in my bag, I think it got there on accident, but it just reminded me of how much I have." JJ sniffled again. "How's our girl?"

"She's good. I couldn't reach you earlier, figured it was the entire state of Wyoming. Anyway, no surgery. The IV antibiotics worked great. She got a prescription for 5 days to make sure it's all cleared out. But we got home for dinner, and she seemed to feel better. She ate all her dinner and some of Henry's too." Emily chuckled lightly. "How's everything out in the wild, wild west?" Emily joked.

"I'm so glad she's okay. I kind of had a tantrum at Hotch today, but he was cool about it. We caught the guy; we'll be home tomorrow."

"What do you mean you had a tantrum?" JJ could practically hear how the brunette's eyebrow quirked up.

JJ laughed, "I'll tell you tomorrow. But I'm going to get to bed. I love you."

"I love you too. Sleep well Jennifer." Emily disconnected the phone and fell right back asleep.

JJ changed and crawled into bed. Her weekend was one shit show after another, and after it was all said and done, the good she had done outweighed the bad. That was her last thought as sleep took her quickly.


	13. Chapter 13

JJ walked in the house through the garage, she dropped her bag messily in the kitchen and made her way in. The only sounds heard were coming from the playroom. She made her way down the hall. It was Sunday evening, so she assumed Jack would still be there. Her theory was confirmed as she heard his voice, with Henry's, argue over something about the best car. She peeked her head around the corner and saw Emily sitting on the couch with Penelope. Ellie sat between them as Pen tried to guide Emily through a complex braid.

JJ still hadn't been seen when Emily huffed, "Why is twisting hair so complicated!"

"It's not, you just don't know what to do with your fingers!" Penelope exclaimed, also getting frustrated by Emily's failure.

JJ laughed loudly, getting the attention of everyone in the room. "Oh, she most certainly does!"

Henry ran towards her, "Mommy!" Ellie was also welcoming her home with a big hug.

She pulled back and looked at Ellie, "How you feeling?"

"All better! Em'ly help." Eloise nuzzled her head into the blonde's neck.

"I bet." JJ stood, the little girl in her arms. "Hey Jack! Your daddy should be here any minute. Why don't you go get your shoes on?"

"Okay!" The one thing JJ appreciated most about Jack, was that, at least with them, he never argued.

JJ plopped down onto the couch, cuddling into Emily as they shared a soft kiss.

Emily scooped Ellie out of JJ's arms, "Okay, now come back, I'm not done." Emily tickled the little girl as she moved her. She earned that bright laughter she had grown to love. Henry crawled into JJ's lap, showing off the book he had to read for school. After a few minutes, Emily shouted, making all of them jump, "Ha! I got it. That is a braid!"

JJ leaned over and giggled, "Emily, my Emily; you are so talented at many things, cannot braid hair of all things."

"Be nice!" Henry scolded, "I think it looks good, Emmy."

For a few moments, everyone enjoyed their time together. Hotch came and picked up Jack. Penelope, reluctantly, made her leave. Emily and JJ got the kids into bed. Finally, the women made their way to their room. Emily watched JJ make her way through her nighttime routine, but something seemed off to Emily. Just because she wasn't working at the BAU anymore, doesn't mean she's lost her profiling skills.

"Baby?" The brunette mused, already in bed.

"Yeah, Em?" the younger woman called from the bathroom before poking her head out.

"What's wrong?"

JJ sighed and stepped out of the bathroom fully, "Is it that obvious?"

"Probably not, but I think since I've started playing house, you forgot who I was before domesticity." Emily joked lightly.

JJ chuckled, "How could I ever forget?"

"You're not answering the question."

"That's because, I'm not sure what's wrong Em." JJ took a shaky breath, "I have so much to be happy about, which reminds me I have to show you something. Anyway, just this case was, harder for me than it should have been."

Emily furrowed her brow, "How so?"

"Well, first off, as a woman, all cases involving sexual assault make me relate. I haven't even been a victim, but it's just the thought that it happens so frequently, reminds me that I could be. One error in judgement could put me in a dangerous situation." JJ made her way to sit on the bed with Emily, who gently stroked a hand down the blonde's arm. "And then it was so much worse because I had to be a part of all the interviews with a victim. So, I didn't get a break from that reminder. My tantrum was about how I couldn't be the only profiler in the boy's club. I think Hotch did his best to understand where it was coming from. But he can't, not fully. And then when we arrested the unsub, he just gave me this smug smile as he looked at me like some piece of meat. It made me feel so gross." After sorting out all that happened, JJ understood her mood better. "I guess I'm just upset because I was the only team member who had to bear this emotional burden. It's exhausting being the only female profiler on the team."

Emily understood. "A lot of times, in the field, women have to be the sympathetic ones. We can't detach like all the men, it's inherently against our nature. But the men in the field rely on that. They put too much stock in letting us handle the emotional, so they don't have to. What they don't realize is how it affects us. They probably aren't looking for it." Emily chuckled, "Men trained in observing behavior still can't recognize when there needs to be boundaries for emotional protection. It's ironic, but I guarantee you're not the only one. Do you know why Pen was here?"

"Because you wanted her to teach you how to braid hair?"

Emily laughed, "No, that was just an unexpected bonus. She was here because even though she wasn't out their doing what you were, she still had to listen to the horrific things those women went through. She needed a break from all that. It's okay if you do too."

JJ hugged her wife tightly, "I know baby, thank you. I love you."

Emily kissed the top of her wife's head, "I love you too, now, what did you want to show me?"

"Oh!" JJ said as she fished around her go bag, "I don't think I was supposed to get this, and honestly I have no idea how I did get it. But here."

Emily unfolded the painting, "Aww, he's so sweet!" Emily gushed.

JJ curled in bed beside her, "I know, read the back." Emily turned the page and fell silent as she read. Tears streamed down her face. JJ sat up and wiped a tear away, "You okay Em?"

The brunette nodded as a small sob worked its way out of her, "He- He's so good, and s-smart, and sw-sweet." She said between sobs. JJ was shocked, Emily could make it through the toughest conversations about the war on women, but a finger painting broke her. JJ started to laugh, "St-stop laughing!" Emily tried to scold as she kept openly sobbing. JJ only laughed harder. Soon Emily was also laughing, although tears still fell.

"I'm sorry, Emmy. But I think Morgan is right: the stay at home Mommy life has made you soft." JJ laughed harder when Emily tried to smack her with the painting.

"Shut up! I am not soft! I am a badass!" Emily teased.

"Oh, my bad, I forgot how badasses appreciate the arts." Emily pouted and turned off the light before laying on her side away from Jennifer. JJ just spooned close to her and kissed her neck, "I love you, Emmy. Goodnight."

"I love you too."

Both women fell asleep quickly.

"Turn it off." JJ mumbled as she fumbled blindly for the alarm clock. She found it and pulled on it to fully remove it from the wall.

"Don't you have to go to work?" Emily asked, also displeased by the noise.

"No. I'll explain later. Let me sleep."

Emily had planned on it. She was already asleep again. JJ followed shortly after.

The couple didn't wake up again until they were attacked in their sleep. The culprits were two little kids, and two little fluff balls.

Henry and Ellie bounced up and down on the bed. JJ groaned, refusing to open her eyes. "Emily, your children are awake."

Emily rolled over to glare at the blond, it didn't matter though, her eyes were still closed. "Before 9:00 their your children"

JJ sat up and threw the blanket off her, "Ugh, fine." JJ paused, "Did you just quote the Lion King?"

Emily nodded, "It's a pretty good movie."

JJ laughed before turning to the children, "You guys hungry?"

"Yes!" She got from both at the same time.

JJ lead them out, stopping to make Ellie go potty. Emily close behind them.

"Why did you make me get up if you weren't going to stay in bed anyway?" JJ whined as she saw her.

"Because you wouldn't have gotten up if you didn't have any immediate responsibilities to attend to." Emily pecked her wife's lips.

Emily and JJ made breakfast together. Their brief time apart only causing sappy moments as the cooked. Henry came around the corner to the living room, sliding on the tile in his socks. "Emmy! Mommy! It's snowing!"

"Woohoo!" Emily called as she hyped up the little boy, "Oh, it's starting to look a lot like Christmas!" Emily began to sing. Henry giggle as Emily left her spot in the kitchen to chase him around the house while he screamed with laughter.

The next day, JJ got up later than usual. Hotch told them to be in later that day because they should have a calm day. JJ told Emily she would take Henry to school, so she didn't have to pack Ellie with her. Emily was in the dining room, eating with Ellie.

"Em'ly?" The toddler asked quietly.

"Yeah Ellie?" Emily stopped to look at her, she looked nervous.

"Why doesn't Henry call you mommy like he does with Jenn'fer?"

Emily was only taken a back for a moment, "Well because I'm not his mommy. He has a daddy and a mommy. That doesn't mean I love him any less. He's like my son."

Emily wasn't sure what else to say. She couldn't explain divorce and stepmoms to a three-year-old.

"Okay. Well can I call you mommy? Since he won't."

Emily wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to call Jennifer immediately and relish in this moment with her wife. She was bursting at the seams with excitement before she realized she hasn't answered yet. "Tell you what, you can call me Momma. That way Henry doesn't get confused. Is that okay?"

Ellie showed Emily her biggest smile, "Okay Momma!" Emily felt like crying but didn't have much time to process the moment. "Can we see the goats today?"

"Sure but finish your breakfast first."

JJ sat at her desk, filling out mind-numbing paperwork. She heard a small commotion behind her but didn't pay much attention. Then she felt someone come behind her and turn her chair. Instinctively, her hands fell to the gun on her hip. Then she saw the dark brown eyes and brilliant smile of her wife. "What are you doing?" She hugged Emily tightly. "Where's Ellie?"

"Oh, she was scooped up by Penelope the second I was in the building." Emily laughed. "I think Reid and Morgan are with them."

JJ rolled her eyes, "Am I the only one who gets work done around here?"

"Yep! Come on, we're going to lunch." Emily pulled her wife from her chair.

Emily lead her up to Penelope's office, she opened the door to the lair to see Morgan and Reid on the floor with Eloise. Penelope was in her chair telling a story with her hands. The little girl saw them enter, "Momma, look! Penny gave me this!" She said smiling brightly, waving a troll doll in the air as she ran towards the women. Emily immediately scooped her into her arms. Everyone noticed the new moniker.

JJ smiled and quirked an eyebrow at the brunette, "Momma?" She asked.

"New development, ready for lunch?" She asked her wife. She had intended for a family lunch, but when the other three BAU members invited themselves, she supposed they were a family to her too. They all walked out of the bullpen, laughing at something Reid said. When they reached the elevators, on dinged and Hotch walked out with a tall, beautiful woman in tow.

Emily watched Morgan's eyes immediately fall to her. She rolled her eyes as she bit back a laugh. Hotch wasn't expecting them, but he cleared his throat and recovered easily, "Guys this is Dr. Tara Lewis, she'll be joining our team. Tara these are SSA's Morgan, Jareau and Dr. Reid. This is Agent Jareau's family, Emily and Eloise."

"Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you!" JJ was the first to say anything, grateful Hotch had took her advice so quickly. "Call me JJ."

Emily shook her hand and eyed the woman, "So this is my replacement?" She smiled and winked to let the new woman know there wouldn't be tension.

Tara took the cue and smiled back, "So this is my predecessor?"

Derek laughed, "Oh come on Princess, you didn't expect us to sit on our hands while you played housewife, did you?"

JJ leant over and joking slapped Morgan on the back of his head. "Come on, we're heading to lunch, you guys want to join?" JJ opened the invitation.

Hotch shook his head, "Sorry guys, someone has to keep this place running."

"Tara?" Emily opened the invitation.

"I'd love to! Where to?" She asked. Her first day and this team was already so welcoming.

Emily looked at JJ and wrapped her arm around her waist, propping Ellie up by her other arm, "Where to baby?"

JJ knew Emily wasn't usually this affectionate. JJ suspected it was because the new woman was beautiful. Emily could get so possessive at times, she was as bad as a guy, but she had nothing to worry about. JJ only had eyes for her. "What about that diner right around the corner?"

"Sounds wonderful." Emily moved towards Derek and handed him the toddler which surprised him for a moment. She saw his face and smirked, "No way in hell am I carrying her, in the snow, in these shoes, for two blocks."

"Come on, princess? You getting lazy? Or have you just lost your touch?" The dark man asked.

Emily rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, D. I could still kick your ass to next week if I wanted to."

Everyone laughed, Tara broke into a smile, "The legendary Emily Prentiss, even in domesticity, still lives up to her name."

The group laughed as they made their way to lunch.

Lunch was winding down when Emily's phone rang. She saw her mother's caller I.D. appear with it. She groaned and answered, "Hello mother."

"Emily Elizabeth Prentiss. I came over to bring my granddaughter some soup and Melissa told me you took her to lunch. She just got a little better, but you brought her out in this weather?! She'll catch her death!" Elizabeth scolded her daughter, reminiscing of when Emily was younger.

Emily took a deep breath, "Mom, it's fine. She's fine. If I thought for even a moment that there would be an issue, I wouldn't take her. I'm sorry you're disappointed we're not home, but if you had called ahead you wouldn't have been disappointed. I have to go."

"Emily wait!" The former ambassador called into the phone, "Emmy, I am so bored." Emily laughed, "I just wanted to see you guys."

Emily smiled into the phone, "Okay. Henry has swim lessons this evening at five. You can come and keep Eloise company while I'm with him."

"Thank you, Emily."

"You're welcome. Goodbye."

"I love you." Liz stated. Emily and Elizabeth hadn't always shared that sentiment out loud, but in the recent change in their dynamics, it became more frequent.

"I love you too mom, Jen sends her best." Emily hung up and looked back at her friends.

Tara looked confused, "Who's Henry and why is he swimming in December?"

JJ laughed at how she said it, "Henry is my son from a previous relationship. He wanted to learn how to swim before summer since our house has a pool. It's indoors so Emily," She glared pointedly to her side, "Spent way too much money on private lessons. Just like she spends way too much money on him for everything."

Emily shrugged, "I can't even begin to put a quantifiable price on my love for him." She winked at her wife.

"Oh, Jayje, she's got you there." Morgan laughed.

"I just don't want him to think he's entitled to everything he wants." JJ quipped back.

"Not _**everything.**_" Emily stressed, "I didn't give him a second cookie the other night. Even though I _**really**_ wanted to."

"Emily!" JJ whined, "He's six and already has a _**pony!**_"

The group laughed. Tara spoke up, "Oh, so Emily is _**loaded**_ loaded."

Garcia laughed harder, "Oh, wait until you see their house."

"Hey!" Emily called, "That was a gift!"

"Oh, come on Emster! The property tax on it alone is more than my net worth!" The group laughed harder at Penelope's remark.

The group finished lunch in a fit of laughter. Emily looked at the time, "Hey, I have to go. Ellie has a follow up appointment with a doctor. Then we'll get Henry. Are you going to try and make it for his lessons?" Brown eyes bore into blue, hoping for the best.

"I'll try Em." JJ answered. She was saddened by the immense hope in her wife's eyes.

"Okay," Emily said before pulling Ellie out of her chair and kissing her wife. She brought the girl to Morgan. "My car is parked in the guest lot." Morgan groaned and held the girl as he stood. That particular lot was on the far end of their building.

"You owe me." He said as he helped Emily get the girl back in her coat.

"JJ pick up the tab." She said over her shoulder, earning a laugh from the group. She raised an eyebrow to her ex-partner, "Good?"

He smiled, "Seems even."

As they walked, Derek took time to talk to Ellie about anything she had on her mind. Ellie looked at him after she laughed at something he had said, "You don't have to carry me. I'm big. I can walk."

Derek laughed at her and Emily rolled her eyes a smile graced her lips. "It's okay little princess, Momma asks, so I do it. It's so you don't slip on the ice. Heaven forbid Emily ruins the suede on her boots."

Emily smacked his arm as they got to her car. "Okay El, ready to see the doctor?"

The toddler sighed dramatically, "I guess."

The adults giggled. Emily got her in her car seat and the two waved goodbye to Derek.

Ellie's doctor's appointment went well. When they picked up Henry, he was so excited as Emily reminded him of his swim lessons. At four thirty, Elizabeth showed back up at the house. "Okay, where are my grandkids?"

Emily smiled, "Nice to see you too, Mother." Elizabeth shot her daughter a warning look. Though Emily was grown, it could still make her blood ice. "Ellie should be waking up from a nap soon, Henry is finishing his homework. The instructor should be here any minute."

"Good." Liz nodded before heading off, presumably to find Henry.

Emily followed behind her before she caught a glimpse of Ellie rubbing her eyes at the top of the stairs. "Hey. How are you sweety?" Eloise trudged down the stairs and let Emily pick her up.

Ellie buried her face into Emily's neck, "I'm hungry."

Emily rubbed her back, "Okay, do you want a snack? Dinner is after Henry swims."

"Yeah, can I has goldfish?" Her voice was still quiet with sleep.

"Yeah, come on. Hey, Grandma Liz is here to see you."

Ellie immediately shot up in Emily's arms. "Liz? Let me see." She pushed against Emily to get away. Emily let her down laughing.

The doorbell rang and Emily opened it expecting the swim instructor, but instead saw Ellie's case worker. Emily face fell and she panicked slightly. Did she do something wrong? Did a long-lost relative want her? Her mind fished for an explanation.

Sarah Daye must have saw the shift and laughed lightly, "Emily, did you forget our scheduled visit?"

Suddenly the memory rushed back to her and she laughed too, her face blushing. "Yeah, I did. We've been busy. Please, come in." She led the woman inside, "Can you give me a minute? Eloise is with my mother and I promised her a snack before dinner."

"Yes, of course." The woman smiled, most foster parents who forgot a visit rushed to get everything in the best order they could, but Emily was already put together. She genuinely just needed to get her foster daughter a snack. Sarah walked around the living room, looking at the pictures that adorned the walls. She smiled as she saw what had to be a new one. Emily was holding Eloise over a fence to pet a goat. Emily was laughing and Ellie's eye were huge with fear and wonder. A blond boy was watching, he also had a huge smile.

Emily stepped back in and watched the other woman, "That's one of my favorites." She said softly, though it still startled Sarah.

"She seems quite happy hear. Let's go through our checklist, can we start in her room?"

Emily stood, "Of course." She led Sarah to Ellie's room.

Sarah noticed the new decorations. She saw the new clothes overfilling the closet. She laughed at a bag of even more new clothes sat near the dresser.

Emily noticed what she was laughing at and chuckled, "We have a friend that can go a little overboard. Henry's room looks pretty much the same without all the pink."

Emily led Sarah around the house. In the kitchen, Emily was showing the locked liquor and knife cabinet when JJ came in through the door connected to the garage.

"Hey Emmy, oh, hey Sarah." She looked back at her wife, "Am I late?"

Emily hugged and kissed her wife, "No honey, the instructor isn't here yet. Henry and Ellie are in the dining room with my mom. Can you get Henry ready though?"

JJ pecked her lips once more, "Of course." She said before leaving.

Emily looked to the social worker, "Henry has his first day of swim lessons today."

Sarah smiled, "Gotcha. Okay, I need to have a conversation with Ellie and then hopefully I can talk to you and your wife?"

Emily nodded, "Sounds good."

Emily took Sarah to the dining room, Ellie sat at the table eating goldfish and Liz was talking to her in French which caused her to laugh. Emily asked her mom, also in French, if they could leave the two alone for a minute. Liz nodded and followed her daughter out in the hall.

"Is everything alright?" The older brunette asked in a hushed tone.

"Everything is fine mom, just a standard follow up." Emily said before leaning closer to the dining room entrance to listen,

"Please don't make me leave, Sarah." Ellie said, the sadness in her voice nearly caused Emily to cry.

"I'm not here to take you Eloise. I just want to know how you like it here." Sarah said with a soft voice.

"I love it. Henry plays with me. Em'ly and Jenn'fer tell me they love me before bed and when I wake up. They're nice. Their friends are really nice too. Penny buys me tons of things. Em'ly always gives me my 'phant when I'm sad."

"What is your 'phant?" Sarah asks.

"It's the first toy she got me. It's super soft."

Sarah laughed lightly, "Okay, that's all I need to know, Ellie."

"Okay, Sarah. Bye Sarah." Emily laughed at how easily the toddler ended a conversation.

The doorbell rang again, thankfully Liz offered to get it.

"Thanks mom, can you get her and Henry to the pool house? Jen and I will be there as soon as we can."

"Sure thing, Emmy."

Sarah stepped back out, "Can I talk with you?" That phrase in itself could spell trouble, but body language of Sarah told Emily it was nothing to worry about.

"Yeah, let me just get Jen." Emily lead her back to the front room, "Also I'm sorry you caught us on a crazy night."

Sarah laughed, "I've seen crazier." Sarah sat on a couch as Emily called up the stairs for her wife.

When JJ met Emily at the bottom of the stairs, Emily spoke to JJ in a quiet voice. JJ nodded before looking at Henry. "Hey, big man. Grandma Liz is going to take you to the pool. Me and Emmy will meet you there. Be good okay?"

"Okay!" He called before running down the hall.

Emily and JJ sat adjacent to the social worker. Their hands connected.

Sarah smiled, "You guys are doing so good with her. I think she's really starting to form a healthy attachment. That's really good for her cognitively. I can't express how pleased I am with you guys."

"Thank you. That means a lot." JJ said.

"We can set up another visit for a couple months. Do you guys have any questions for me?"

Emily leaned forward, "Yeah, when can we adopt her? I know we've only had her for a short while, but we can't imagine our life without her."

JJ nodded her head in full agreement.

Sarah smiled brightly at them again, the case of the abandoned little girl that was her first case, was looking like it would get a good ending. "Well, she is a ward of the state indefinitely. A judge would be more than willing to push your case through quickly. If you drew up the paperwork in January, I'd be surprised if it took until spring to go through."

Emily pulled JJ into a close hug. Both women smiling, "So, how soon can we draw up the paperwork?"


	14. Chapter 14

Emily, JJ and Hotch conned Spencer and Morgan into babysitting the kids while they did their Christmas shopping. It was December 21st. Emily spent her days with both kids and needed the break, even if it was to a crowded mall. The group walked into the toy store. Hotch immediately looked at the Marvel Superhero action figure set. The set was a base set and you could buy other add-ons. Emily and JJ laughed as the man grabbed every available add-on. The couple wandered to the section they thought would house something for Eloise.

"What about this?" JJ asked holding up a baby doll set.

"Can we just buy the whole store?" Emily whined.

"No. You know the limits. They each get the same number of gifts, and the same total price." JJ scolded.

"So, I'll buy them each a store?

"No."

"Ugh, okay. Let's get Ellie the doll, a cluster of stuffed animals, a tricycle, a learning tablet, books, and her big gift can be a dollhouse." Emily spit balled, she hoped JJ didn't think it would be too much.

"Okay, and your ideas for Henry?"

"The new batman Lego set, the dinosaur costume and stuffed animal set, a bike, a learning tablet for him also, books, and we can get him one of those child sized ATV's for his big gift."

JJ thought it over, it sounded like a lot, but if she didn't concede to this, she knew Emily would whine about it. "Fine, but they each get new clothes and shoes too."

"Deal." Emily smiled brightly and JJ shook her head.

By the time they were done, JJ was pushing an overflowing cart while Emily tried to carry the bike and ATV. The tricycle was small enough to be perched on the top of all the other toys. Hotch saw them after they paid and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that." Emily huffed and set the items down to throw Hotch her keys, "Can you go bring the car around?"

Hotch laughed but left anyway. Soon Emily was trying to finish shoving the rest of the items into the car. When they pulled into the driveway, they went inside to see if the kids were all asleep yet. With no noise radiating through the house, the three wandered around looking for Derek and Spencer. They found them in the living room, both asleep in a sitting position and they both, curiously, had wet spots on their shirt.

Emily shook Derek awake while JJ woke up Spencer. When they were both awake, Emily noticed the glare Morgan wore. "What happened to you guys?"

Spencer looked at her, "Bath time."

Everyone laughed, barring Spencer and Derek.

"Full time mommy doesn't seem so easy, now does it?" Emily mocked an already pissed off Morgan. "Now, come help us bring everything to the basement."

As Derek helped the women, Spencer help Hotch move Jack's presents to his car. Hotch was carrying a sleeping boy out when Emily said goodbye. "We'll see you at Christmas!" After the Hotchner's were gone, the couple said goodbye to Derek and Spencer.

Emily and JJ fell into bed quickly. Sleep hitting them easily.

Christmas morning had arrived, Emily knew that because it was 5:00 a.m. and JJ was waking Emily.

"Jennifer, I swear to god. We told the kids they weren't allowed to wake us up until seven. You are not exempt from that rule." Emily grumbled and turned away from her wife.

JJ pushed Emily's hair away and planted kisses down her neck. "I'm sorry. I'm just excited." She husked into Emily's ear, sending a shiver down the brunette's spine.

Emily turned into her wife's touch. When they were face to face, Emily pulled the blond into a heated kiss. JJ turned them over to straddle Emily. JJ kissed down her wife's neck, nibbling when she hit Emily's weak spot on her neck. The older woman moaned and arched into her wife. JJ took this opportunity to lift Emily's shirt over her head. She placed hot kisses around Emily's chest, teasing her way to perked nipples. When her mouth finally wrapped around a dusty bud, Emily's breath hitched in her throat before resolving into a moan. JJ let her hands travel down the brunette's squirming body until she was playing with the waist band of Emily's underwear. Emily rolled her hips.

"Please, Jen." She said breathily. "I need you."

JJ latched on to Emily's neck before moving her panties to the side and slowly dragging her fingers through wet folds. Emily bucked into the touch and grabbed onto the blond for support. JJ gathered some of the wetness and brought it up to her wife's swollen bud. She circled around it, using a light pressure. JJ knew it would bring Emily _**almost**_ there but would drive her crazy because it's not enough.

"Jen-Jennifer. Please. I need more." Emily was writhing beneath the blond.

"Emily. Tell me how you want it." The husk in JJ's voice sent another wave of anticipation through the brunette.

"I, I want you inside-" Emily's breath caught as JJ wasted no time in pushing two fingers into her.

"What else?"

"My clit." JJ used her thumb to rub steadily at the bundle of nerves. Emily arched her back, a high pitch moan escaping. "Don't stop! Just like that."

JJ curled her fingers as she picked up her pace. Soon, Emily was cumming. Her legs twitched and she dug her nails into the blonde's back. She moaned out as JJ eased her through it with gentle touches.

When she recovered, Emily quickly shifted her weight and turned them around. On top, Emily pulled JJ to the edge of the bed and squatted between her long legs. When Emily quickly ripped off JJ's shorts and underwear, it was the younger woman's turn to moan. Unlike her, who could tease until the day ended, Emily wasted no time. She greedily explored every part of JJ's center. She wrapped her mouth around her wife's bud. She sucked lightly. When JJ arched off the bed and her hand tangled in brown hair, pulling lightly, Emily knew her wife wouldn't last long. Emily smiled with pride against her wife's hot, wet entrance. She brought one hand up and toyed with the outside of her entrance, never entering fully. JJ mewled. Every time Emily put her fingers in, JJ would try to use her inner muscles to pull her deeper. Emily teased her hole, her mouth never leaving its post. All at once, Emily slammed three fingers into her wife. She set a fast, unrelenting pace.

"OH, GOD!" JJ cried loudly, "Em, fuck. Don't stop. Fuck, fuck, don't stop." JJ was falling quickly. Emily was there to catch her. JJ twitched as she came down from her high. Emily crawled up the blonde's body, peppering kisses along the way.

When their mouths connected JJ moaned at the taste of herself. Emily pulled away and smiled as the first sign of day crept through the windows. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." JJ smiled back.

"Well since we're up, I'm gonna shower and get coffee going." Emily smiled.

"I'll join you."

JJ and Emily were snuggled on the couch, waiting impatiently for any signs of stirring children. Will came down from the guest room. He had arrived late the night before. he got there just in time to see Henry off to bed. He got his own cup of coffee and sat with the women in the living room. They heard the door click to Henry's room, then another door open. Bathroom. Then another door, Ellie's room. Before they knew it, two loud and excited kids were running down the stairs.

"Merry Christmas!" All the adults hollered as the kids bounded into the living room.

"Okay Henry, can you show Ellie how to pass out the presents?" Emily asked.

When all the gift were distributed, Emily watched as the kids tore into them. They took pictures as much as they could. Will got Henry a bunch of new toys, most were monster truck or dinosaur themed. He even got a couple doll sets for Ellie. When everything was opened in the living room, they led the kids to the kitchen where they saw their bikes. The screaming nearly deafened Emily, but she wouldn't have it any other way. They moved them to their last room, the one with the biggest gifts. The kids rounded into the playroom and Henry immediately leapt onto his ATV, while Ellie carefully studied each room to the giant dollhouse, a smile never leaving her face.

"Mommy! Look! I ride!" Henry called, the ATV suddenly jerking forward and crashing into the couch.

JJ rushed forward, "Woah dude! That can only be ridden outside." Henry looked sad for a moment, but it passed quickly.

The family spent their morning eating breakfast and unboxing toys. Will took Henry outside to ride his ATV. Emily looked out the window and laughed. Will was chasing Henry down the driveway, as he chased the dogs.

Edward and Elizabeth Prentiss were the first to show up, two hours before the party, also with gift in hand. Henry got a racetrack, and Ellie got a veterinarian play set.

JJ and Emily got the kids ready. Henry wore a red and gold plaid shirt and black jeans with tan boots. Emily wrestled Ellie into a gold dress with sparkling red trim, white fleece tights, and gold dress flats. Emily passed off the girl to JJ for her hair to get done. When JJ came back out carrying Eloise, the toddler had a frown, but her hair was beautiful. She had a waterfall braid on one side of her head that ended with a bow to match her outfit.

Elizabeth fawned over the kids, as she usually did when she was around. The party was flowing easily. Tara was the last to arrive.

"You guys were not joking! This is some house!" Tara said as she handed a bottle of wine to JJ and Emily.

JJ winked, "It's alright, I guess. We're so glad you could make it!"

Tara returned the hug JJ pulled her into, "Thank you for inviting me!"

The blond led the new member to the downstairs living area of the house. JJ laughed as she saw Emily, who had been drinking most of the day, wobbling as she tried to make her way through the VR world of their new toy. Everyone else sat around laughing. JJ joined in watching, something in the game jumped into the brunette's view and she screamed and fell back, onto Tara. JJ was almost crying as Emily ripped the headset off and she drunkenly tried to scramble off a stunned Tara. Derek and Hotch tried to help them up. Emily was wobbling on her feet, but she was laughing with the rest of the group.

JJ stood and helped support Emily, "Okay, I need to put her to bed." JJ smiled at her drunk wife. The blond helped her up the stairs and into their room. Emily kept trying to steal kisses as JJ helped her into pajamas and into bed. JJ kissed her wife forehead, "I love you."

"Mmmm, love you." Emily slurred back. She fell asleep right after. JJ chuckled and left the room. She peeked into Ellie's room, the girl had rolled around so much in her sleep, that her covers were kicked off her. JJ gently covered her again and kissed her forehead. She went to Henry's room, both he and Jack were asleep. JJ knew that most of their guests would be drinking, so she set up a cot in Henry's room for Jack to sleep on so that other rooms were clear for others. Rossi intended to catch a ride home with a cab, Reid could take the room Jack usually used, Will still had the upstairs bedroom, there were two more bedrooms downstairs available. That meant either Derek or Penelope, Hotch, and Tara would have to fight for a room. Or, the couches they owned were comfortable.

JJ said goodnight to the guests before heading back to her room for bed. At eight the next morning, their doorbell rang shrilly and repeatedly. Emily groaned and tried to cover her ears with her pillow.

"Whoever it is, shut them up or I'll shoot them." The older woman moaned, her hangover hitting her hard.

JJ threw the blanket back, not as effected by last night, "I'll get it."

JJ prodded down the stairs while the bell still rang. She threw the door open angrily, "WHAT?!" She snapped at a smiling Rossi. He laughed, JJ irritation was still bubbling, "I don't know why you're laughing. If you wake up those kids while Em feels like she does, you'll be taking all three for the day."

Dave's smile faded for a minute, "I brought breakfast." He said hesitantly.

JJ noticed the takeout bags and at least three boxes of doughnuts. She smiled and stepped aside, "You're forgiven."

Rossi followed JJ into the kitchen. She got a pot of coffee going and picked through the food. Most of it was doughnuts, but there was also bacon and scrambled eggs. JJ ate and chatted with Rossi. Unsurprisingly, the next people awake were three, loud, kids. After they were up, more of the guests filtered into the kitchen and dining room. They talked, they laughed, they had family time. Tara filled JJ in that Morgan slept on the downstairs couch while she and Pen shared one room, leaving Hotch the other. Emily was the last to come down. Her hair was all over, and she wore a frown. She spoke no words before she got aspirin and coffee. She sat down and picked at her breakfast. She sat silently and watched the interactions around her a she waited for the pounding in her head, and the ominous gurgling in her stomach to go away. Ellie came bounding around a corner and greeted her.

"Hi Momma!" Emily flinched at the volume, "Can we see horses today?"

Emily ran a hand down blond locks, "Sure baby, Uncle Derek will take you."

Derek put his coffee down, "Excuse me Princess?" He started but was cut off by a happy toddler pouncing around him. Emily smirked at him before winking.

That week was full of excitement. JJ and Emily started the process of adopting Eloise. Emily got word that Ellie's application to the best private preschool in Virginia had been approved, though Emily was sure it had something to do with her parents. Emily and JJ had managed to get Em's parents to watch the kids for New Year's. Eloise's fourth birthday was coming up in March. Life was going well for the family. Life was good. Emily was trying to plan out her summer. Henry would spend most of it with Will in New Orleans. If they got Ellie's adoption done quickly, Emily planned to take her on as many trips as possible. So far, she had to meet with Merchants and Small companies in France, Spain, Italy, and Japan. She was exploring new revenues for the company. But today, today was just a calm day with the family. JJ and Emily were cuddled in the playroom, a cartoon playing on the TV while the kids played with their toys.

JJ phone rang from the coffee table. JJ answered it quickly, "Jareau." She clipped before listening intently. "Yes, sir. I'll be in as soon as I can."

Emily sighed, "What do you got?"

"Local case. Parents in Virginia are being killed in front of their children. I've got to go. I love you." Emily and JJ shared a long kiss. JJ got up and said goodbye to the kids before she went upstairs to get ready.

Soon, JJ was gone. Emily did as she always did when her wife left for a case: she hoped and prayed that Jennifer would be okay.


	15. Chapter 15

Emily was woken up from a dead sleep as her phone rang. She grabbed for it blindly, "Hello?"

"Em, baby?" at the sound of JJ's voice, Emily shot up in bed, worried.

"Jen, is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, but I need you to come to the BAU, I can't explain over the phone." Panic started to rise in Emily.

"Uh, the kids?" Emily stammered.

"Spence is on his way." JJ answered calmly. Emily couldn't read anything in her voice, she thought that was the scariest part.

There was a knock at the door and Emily stood and pulled on some decent clothes as she got held the phone to her ear. "Okay, I'm on my way. I love you."

"I love you too." JJ hung up first.

Emily let Spencer in quickly. "Okay, take the guest room upstairs. I don't know how long this will take, but Henry and Ellie have school tomorrow. Henry needs to be at Washington Elementary by 8:30, and Ellie needs to be at Teaching Tots Academy by 9:00. I'll leave the keys to my SUV because both car seats are already set up in it. Gimme your keys."

Spencer tried his best to comfort his friend, "I know what to do, JJ gave me instructions. Here's my keys, don't worry."

Emily's drive was awful, she only got more anxious as Spencer's old car sputtered. She had to wait for a visitors' badge at security. When she finally made it into the BAU, the team looked at her.

Hotch stepped forward, "JJ is in the soft interview room."

Emily nodded and walked away quickly. She watched through the window just outside the room, JJ was comforting a young girl. Emily could tell she was in her teens. She didn't want to interrupt, so she knocked twice on the window.

JJ walked out of the room and hugged Emily into a tight hug, tears falling. Emily pulled back and wiped them away with her thumb. "Jennifer, what is going on?"

The shorter woman took a shuttering breath, "Em, we have to help this girl. She called an abuse hotline, and then the guy who worked for the hotline killed her mom and stepdad in front of her. Then the unsub burned the house down, she barely escaped."

Emily wasn't fully understanding, "Okay, so multiple levels of trauma…?" She led on so JJ could finish filling her in.

"Her dad died a couple years ago. After her mom married her stepdad, he started to… uhm…" JJ's breath caught in her throat. "He sexually abused her repeatedly. She has no family. Her dad was an orphan, and her maternal grandparents are both dead."

"Jen," Emily said warningly, "The last time something like this happened, I was destroyed."

"Emily, that girl is not Carrie. Pen has quadruple checked for family. She has no one, and she is so broken. The other kids from this case, they had other guardians, but her, she doesn't, and I can't let her be put into the system like this. Because if she goes in, I don't think she'll come out." JJ was pleading with her wife.

"Okay, let's call DCFS. Let's figure something out. My background before the BAU was in traumatized adolescents. We can handle this." JJ knew Emily was trying to convince herself, but JJ also knew that Emily's heart was big and sappy, and that Emily would always help those who need it most.

JJ hugged Emily tightly again, "There's already a social worker here."

Emily nodded against her wife, "Okay, Jayje you scared the shit out of me with that call."

"I know, Emmy. I just couldn't do that over the phone."

JJ and Emily headed into the conference room; hands intertwined. When they walked in, both women felt relieved, Sarah Daye was there looking just as tired as JJ and Emily.

"Emily, Jennifer. I'm glad it's you guys who are handling this." She said shaking both their hands.

"Likewise." JJ said, "We need to know where to go from here."

Sarah sighed, "Well, the state and local PD investigated the claims a couple months ago."

Emily felt anger rise in her, "So they knew about it and didn't do anything?"

"We placed her temporarily while it was investigated, but the mother backed up her husband. Without anything to corroborate the prosecutor dismissed the charges. Without the charges, we had no legal reason to keep her in the system." Sarah looked hurt. Emily noted the swirl of emotions behind her eyes. "Her name is Lola Harriet Arden. She's thirteen. Most foster parents don't want to take on the task of a teenager."

Emily sighed, though she was still angry at the injustice, "That girl needs help. She needs love and she needs compassion and understanding. I couldn't bare to watch her in the system, she wouldn't make it in there."

"I understand, Emily. But this is big project to take on, I want you to understand all that you will be taking on." Sarah said.

"I understand. We understand. We want to take her home." Emily said with finality.

Sarah smiled sadly, "Okay, we need to sign over emergency custody to you."

After the two finished paperwork they made their way back to the room Lola was sitting in. She had skin like Derek's and tight curly hair that fell to her shoulder. She had tears streaking her face. Emily looked to JJ, "Let me go in and talk to her." JJ nodded and stayed put to watch from the window.

Emily carefully opened the door, "Hi, Lola?" the girl didn't look up, but she nodded. Emily sat on a chair a few feet from her. "Hi, I'm Emily. I'm married to Agent Jareau. We're going to take you home with us. Is that okay?"

Lola looked up and stared into Emily, "It's not 'okay'" she spat with venom, Emily didn't harden her face. This girl was scared and intimidating her into quiet compliance was not going to help. "But I have no one left, so I guess I have no choice." Lola's strong act betrayed her as tears fell.

"I guess you're right. There are no words for what you've been through. Do you have clothes with you? Or do you want me to ask Jen to run over there for you?" Emily said softly.

"All I have are the clothes on my back." She answered coldly.

"Okay, how about we get you home, into some clothes, and go from there? One step at a time."

"Okay."

Emily led Lola out of the room, where they met up with JJ. Emily looked to her wife. "You take her in your car, I'll drive Spencer's junker home. If we leave now, we can make it home before the kids have to leave."

Emily's prediction was right, they did make it home before Ellie and Henry had to leave. When they walked in, Spencer was trying his best to brush Ellie's hair into a ponytail. He looked frazzled, and the kids were both yelling.

JJ laughed, "Spence, let me get her, can you get Henry into his shoes? He still has problems tying them on his own."

He sighed with relief and took Henry to his shoes. Emily walked in with Lola, "Are you hungry? I can make something to eat?"

Lola was looking around the biggest house she had ever seen, "Uh… no thank you. I'm not hungry."

Emily nodded, "Okay. Let me help Jen for a minute then we can get you settled."

Emily walked into the living room, Lola following close behind, not sure what else to do. Emily kissed Ellie and Henry, "Okay, this is Lola, she's going to stay with us like Ellie did. Promise to be nice?"

Emily held out one pinky that Henry and Ellie both took with their smallest finger. "We promise Momma!" Ellie called.

"Okay. Good. Now off to school or you'll be late!" Emily tickled both their sides.

As JJ got them to school, Emily helped Lola. She was fishing through her closet for something the girl could wear. She pulled out a pair of leggings and an old t-shirt. She sighed; this would have to work until she could take Lola to the mall. She walked out of her closet, holding out the items, "I'm sorry. This is all we have that might even fit a little. We'll take you out for some new clothes this afternoon."

Lola stood from where she was sitting in the lounge chair by the bed. "That's okay. These will work."

"Okay, great. Uhm, let me show you your room." Emily took the mocha girl to her room, it was one right by Ellie's, she pointed to the bathroom and linen closet on the way. "Okay, you're all set."

Lola headed towards the bathroom with fresh clothes and towels, she paused, "Hey, Emily?"

"Yeah?" the brunette asked.

"Is it okay if I catch a few hours of sleep?" She asked hesitantly.

Emily found it odd that she felt the need to ask, "Of course. Just come get me or Jen if you need anything." The girl nodded and turned back towards the bathroom, "And Lola?" Brown eyes met darker brown, "I mean anything. Nothing is too small." Lola nodded and shut the bathroom door behind her.

Emily sat in a chair in her room, she couldn't put her finger on why, but something in Emily's gut was telling her to worry. She pretended to read a book as she listened to the sounds coming from the bathroom. For a few minutes she just heard running water, then she heard a sob, and then another, and as the sound built with each sob, Emily shed a few tears with her. She listened carefully for signs of distress. When she heard what sounded like every shower product clutter in the tub, as well as a guttural scream, Emily leapt up and ran to the bathroom door.

She knocked lightly, trying not to let her panic show. "Lola? Please let me know you're okay." The only thing she heard was sobs that came out between shallow breaths that were picking up in frequency. Emily knew the girl was close to hyperventilating. "Lola, please open the door. Let me help you. It's just you and me." She heard the water shut off. Her mind was racing as she heard the lock click. She called through the door again, "Is it okay if I come in?"

"Yes." Lola managed through sobs.

Emily walked in and saw Lola leaning against the bathtub, wrapped in only a towel. Emily sat next to her leaning against the tub. "Lola, you're hyperventilating. Push all the air out of your lungs, then take a steady breath back in." Emily watched carefully as the teen did so. "Good, now take a couple more big breaths." Emily waited, "You did great. Do you want to talk about what happened?" Lola shook her head. Emily stood and extended a hand for her to grab before pulling her up, "Okay. You don't have to. Now, I'm going to stand right outside that door while you change."

A few minutes after Emily closed the door behind her, Lola stepped out. The shirt she was wearing came to her mid-thigh, but the leggings seemed to fit okay. Emily walked with Lola to her room. When she was in bed, Emily felt content enough to leave her be, kind of. She shut the door behind her, grabbed her book, and sat down on the floor by Lola's room.

Emily heard the front door open and close. "Emily?" JJ called through the house.

"Upstairs." She called back, not too loudly.

She watched the stairwell as JJ climbed the steps. The blonde spotted her wife immediately and sat on the floor next to her. "That bad?"

Emily closed her book, "There was a meltdown in the shower. I think she's asleep right now. How was getting the kids to school?"

JJ laughed lightly, "Henry was good to go, I could barely get a hug goodbye. But Ellie, man, she stalled as much as possible. Does she always do that?"

Emily dropped her head to side to look at her wife, "Yeah. It's still new for her. I'm sure she'll get more comfortable with it. Did she cry?"

"No."

Emily smirked, "See? She's already getting better about it."

JJ widened her eyes, "She cried?"

Emily laughed, "Yeah. The first day she sobbed, and then she cried less and less each day."

"Aw. Poor baby. Why didn't you tell me?" JJ asked.

Emily sighed, "Well honestly? After her meltdown I had to get through her registration. And then after I picked them up the rest of the time before you got home was hectic and I forgot."

JJ wrapped her hand around Emily's. "I'm sorry if you feel like you're doing it alone."

Emily shook her head, "Don't be. I don't feel like that. The life I have now is wonderful. While I do miss you when you're gone, I know why you're doing it and I couldn't be more proud."

JJ kissed her wife sweetly. "I love you." She said before yawning.

Emily chuckled. "I love you too. Why don't you go take a nap? You worked all night."

JJ nodded before yawning again, "Good idea. Join me?"

"Sorry, I have some business to attend to. I'll wake you up before lunch."

Emily walked downstairs to the office. She opened her laptop, on her to-do list she needed to find a school for Lola, a therapist, and then she had to go over inventory reports for the company. She found a therapist who specialized in sexual trauma and frequently used the EMDR technique. Emily knew firsthand how beneficial it was. Emily picked out a couple schools to go over with Lola. She thought giving her a little bit of freedom in the topic may help her feel more in control. She found an All-Girls School that was a little more of a commute than she would have liked, but the reputation of it was astounding, and it had great athletic programs. Then there was a private school that was closer, with a good reputation, but also had a reputation for scandals. Emily was more worried about that but read that the administration was undergoing changes. The final school was a charter school. It was near Henry's school and was known for its art programs. When Emily printed off documents for all the options, she set to working on the inventory reports. Emily felt her stomach protest at its emptiness. She looked at the time, it was only 11:30, but she had been up since three without food.

As she searched through the kitchen for food to make for the three of them, Emily noticed how there wasn't much. She found the ingredients to a chicken salad and called it good as she made a mental note to ask Jen to go to the grocery store. When it was all put together, Emily set it in the dining room with some bowls and forks. She climbed up the stairs and woke Jen first.

"Baby," She said as she shook her wife awake, "I made lunch. Come down and eat."

JJ groaned and tried to bury herself further under the blankets. Emily laughed and yanked the blankets back.

JJ shrieked, "Emily! Not cool!" She said, now wide awake.

"Sorry, babe. Lunchtime." She winked at her wife before stopping at Lola's room.

She knocked lightly, "Lola?" She called from the hallway. She repeated the pattern, hoping she didn't have to invade her space. When no reply came, Emily cracked the door and called for her again. She heard the rustling of covers, but no reply. "Lola, it's lunchtime. After that we'll go shopping." She added the last bit as a bribe, though it was true.

"Hold on, I'll be right out." The groggy teen answered.

Emily stood in the hall waiting. JJ walked out of their room and stretched before her face setting into her usual tired scowl. Emily laughed, "You're so cute."

JJ wasn't amused, "Here's cute." She said before flipping her wife the bird.

Emily just laughed at her and JJ made her way down the stairs. Lola was out of her room shortly after that. Emily looked at her and smiled, "Did you get enough sleep?"

Lola nodded and rubbed her eyes, "That bed was so comfortable, I think my soul left my body for a few hours." She joked lightly.

Emily laughed in return. "Good. Let's go down and eat."

Emily was the last to the dining room because she had to grab the school information from the office. "Lola, can I get you anything to drink?"

"Uh, do you have sodas?" She answered with a mouthful of greens.

"No, sorry. I'll put that on the list. What kind of sodas do you like? We have a lot of juice for now though."

"I like sprite and orange soda. Can I just have water for now?"

As Emily came back with her drink, she sat down and began to eat. "Okay, so we have to get you enrolled in school somewhere. I have three options, I thought you might like a little input?" Lola nodded and took her last bite before gesturing for the papers. Emily explained the schools, "Okay so the first option is Greenfield Academy, it's private school nearby. The next option is Willowcrest School for girls. The third option is Harrison High, it's a charter school."

As Lola looked through the options, she paused. "Uh, I don't know. Which one do you like?"

"I like Willowcrest. It has a really good sports program. I went to a couple all-girl schools and they were the best schools I went to." Emily replied.

Lola nodded, "I do like sports. Why did you like all-girl?"

JJ was looking over the papers, completely unknowing to the options. Emily smiled to Lola, "well, I liked them because there's no competition. In a co-ed school, girls are always fighting each other over who's the prettiest and most popular. But at girl schools, there isn't any of that. Even the outcasts have a place in that society."

"That's pretty cool. Do you know what sports they have?"

Emily smiled pointedly at an oblivious blond, "Well their best teams are their track team, swim team and basketball teams, but they have the last three state titles for their soccer team."

JJ looked up from the papers, smiling at her wife. Lola was smiling too, "Soccer?" they both said excitedly.

They both looked at each other before launching into their mutual love of soccer. Emily took this time out of the conversation to finish her food. As the other two finished their conversation, Emily interjected, "Jen? I'm going to take Lola to the mall after this. Can you pick up the kids and go grocery shopping?"

"Oh, so I get the chaos of those two things together and you get a fun time at the mall?" JJ teased.

Emily smiled, "Yep." She popped. "I'll give you the list before you leave." Emily ignored her wife's eyeroll and turned her attention back to the teenager, "Is there anything you need to do before we leave?"

Emily watched carefully as she watched a faint blush cover the girls face as she looked down, "Yeah, I need to do my hair."

Emily raised and eyebrow, "Okay, so why do you look embarrassed by that?"

Lola laughed nervously, "I don't know how to do my own hair. My mom always did it."

JJ watched her, "Hey don't worry. I know just the people to help." The blond quickly dialed Tara and Derek. When she got an affirmative on from both of them, she checked the time. "Okay, they'll be here soon. I have to get ready to get Ellie and Henry." She stood and quickly kissed Emily's cheek, "I'll see you guys for dinner."

Emily was just finishing cleaning up the lunch mess when the doorbell rang. Lola was watching some tv in the living room when Emily walked by to the door. She smiled brightly at her friends.

"Tara! Derek! I'm so glad you could help me. I think both me and JJ are out of our element." Emily laughed.

"Oh, come on princess, you have many talents, but hair is not one of them. Let alone the complexity of black hair." Derek laughed.

Emily lead the two in and stopped before Lola. "You remember Tara and Derek?"

Lola nodded and smiled shyly. "Nice to see you again."

Tara went up the stairs after the introductions, Emily looked curiously at Derek, before she could speak, he cut her off, "Don't ask." He looked back to Lola, "I used to be in charge of my little sister's hair before school. My older sister could do her own, but little Desi was helpless." He earned a small laugh from the teen.

Tara came down the steps, "Okay so there is nothing in there that's super helpful for her hair. We have to go shopping." She stopped before Lola, "Right now, I think we can work with a bun. Do you want me to help you?"

Lola nodded shyly again and turned her back to the tall woman. With Tara towering over her, it was easy to get her hair done.

Emily grabbed her purse, "Okay, let's go."


	16. Chapter 16

JJ picked up Ellie first. She had to go in and check her out. When the teacher brought her down the hall, Ellie brightened up and ran towards the blond. JJ was ready and caught her in her arms before picking her up and finished signing her out.

"Why didn't Momma pick me up?" Ellie asked from JJ's arms.

"Momma had to do something else, but I'm glad I could pick you up." JJ said as they reached her car. "We're gonna pick up Henry and go to the store."

"Can I get a candy?"

JJ laughed at the little girl, "Maybe if you and Henry are extra good you can pick one out."

When they pulled up to Henry's school, JJ let Eloise out of her car seat so they could wait in the cool sun for school to get out. When the kids spilled out of the school, Henry spotted them quickly and ran over. JJ crouched to give him a big hug.

"Hi Mommy! Hi Ellie!" Henry stopped to look around, "Where's Emmy?"

"She had something else to do." JJ answered and helped both kids back into the car. "Hey, we have to go to the store. I told Ellie if you were extra good, you both could get a candy. Sound good?"

JJ took the shouts for candy as an affirmative.

"Derek! I swear to god if you ask me to stop for food one more time, I'm kicking you out of the car!" Emily snapped at him. On their way towards the mall, he had asked for something from ever fast food place they passed.

Tara and Lola laughed from the back seat, Derek mocked offense, "Damn Princess, didn't know it was such an issue for you."

Emily just shot him a glare as her jaw tightened. She was thankful when they finally pulled into the mall.

The groups first stop was a beauty supply store. Tara and Derek split in each direction leaving Emily and Lola confused at the front of the store. The pair wandered aimlessly around the store, looking at different things. Finally, Tara popped her head down the aisle they were in, "Oh, there you guys are. Come on, we have all we need from here."

"Hey, hold on." Emily said as the group walked to the counter to pay, "We are not near done. We need clothes, shoes, bedding, we'll be here for a while."

Derek groaned, "Why didn't you tell me earlier!? I could have driven myself. You know I hate shopping, and with three women? Get outta here."

Lola giggled at his whining and Emily rolled her eyes, "Derek, shut up."

"Fine. But you owe me dinner."

"Fine."

Tara watched the interaction with a smile, "I for one, am very happy to get to spend time with you, Emily. JJ talks about you so much, I wanted to experience some of it for myself."

"Oh, she does?" Emily smirked. "I'll have to ask her about it later."

After Emily paid way too much for hair products, the group made it through the mall. Their first stop was a clothing store for teens. Lola picked out only a couple items. Emily knew she was being shy about asking for too much, so Emily enlisted the help of her friends to study what clothes she liked and passed up. Derek and Tara spent time picking items and throwing it in Lola's arms. While the teen was trying on everything, Emily took the time to thank her friends for their help.

Lola popped her head out of the dressing room, "Emily?" She called softly.

Emily was there immediately, "What's up?"

Lola looked down, "Does this look okay?" She asked as she swung the door open for the brunette woman to see her fully.

"It look great sweety." She replied softly.

Lola eyed Emily, "Really? You don't think it's too revealing?"

"No. I think that girls should be able to wear what they want and not be scrutinized for it. Besides, you're only showing you shoulders and a little bit of midsection." Emily winked at the girl before turning to let her change in peace.

The group hit a couple more clothing stores before going into the shoe store. Emily looked down to Lola, "Okay, you need a couple pairs of shoes, a pair of nice black shoes for school, and maybe some soccer cleats?"

Lola smiled brightly, "You want me to play soccer?"

"Well, you'll start school before the spring season kicks off, pun intended, and I was hoping you could practice with Jennifer until tryouts. Is that something you want to do?"

"Yeah! I love soccer and I really hope JJ can help with it."

Lola ended up getting more shoes than they talked about, adding different pairs of boots and sneakers to their lot. "I think I'll need a bigger car." Emily joked. When she looked around to find her friends, she spotted them holding up pink slippers from the infant section. She walked over and raised an eyebrow, "Uh, hey guys, what did you find?"

"Em, look at these!" Morgan said, showing the tiny shoes to her. "How is it even possible to have feet this little?"

She laughed in response, "Come on, we only have one more stop until we're done."

Derek put the shoes back gently, "You should have a baby Em." He said softly.

"In our dreams Derek." Emily always wanted a family, but the one she had was filling her heart with so much love already, she couldn't imagine doing anything different.

In Bed, Bath and Beyond, Emily quickly found the bedding section to get done as fast as possible. Lola quickly found a sheet set and a large plush blanket to match. The sheet had a lavender and navy-blue pattern on it and the blanket had a similar soft purple color to it. Emily paid for the items and the group made their way back to Emily's SUV, Derek carrying most of the bags.

"Em, what's for dinner?" Derek asked from the passenger seat.

"Whatever Jennifer decided was for dinner." Emily deadpanned.

Derek made a whip cracking noise and Emily reached over and smacked him lightly. Before long, Emily pulled back in her large driveway. The group carried in all the items and unceremoniously dropped it in the living room. Emily heard the high-pitched laughter come out of the playroom. "Hey you two!" She shouted before smiling. Both kids ran up and hugged her tightly before regaling her with stories of their day. Emily let go of the kids when JJ appeared in the doorway. "Hi baby." She said before standing and kissing her wife. "How was the store?"

JJ kissed her back, "Well considering I had to take two excited little kids with me, it was a travesty. How was the mall?"

"Really good, I think Tara and Derek really helped Lola with hair stuff and making her more comfortable about the price point of things. Also, Derek wants to know what's for dinner?"

JJ laughed, "After my day? Pizza."

Emily put some of Lola's new clothes in the wash so she could have pajamas and clothes for tomorrow while JJ called a pizza place. Emily walked into the living room carrying the bag from the beauty store. She chucked the bag at Derek who barely had time to put his beer down before catching it.

"Hey!" He called.

"You and Tara help Lola learn about her hair; pizza should be here in thirty minutes." Emily said before sitting in the chair across the room.

"Okay girl, come here." Tara said. Lola moved in front of Tara and sat on the floor facing her. "This is your shampoo and conditioner. Lather the shampoo first and rinse immediately. Then apply your conditioner to the ends of your hair, leaving about an inch of roots without it. With your hair, if you go all the way to the top some with get trapped on your scalp from your thick hair. That'll give you dandruff. Leave the conditioner in while you deal with the rest of your shower, usually about five minutes. This will make it easy to brush through, and keep it strong, soft, and it'll control the frizz." As Tara explained Lola nodded and Emily could see her writing mental notes.

"Okay," Derek interjected, "this is a normal spray bottle, what I used to do for my sister is fill it with water and a cheap conditioner. That way if you don't want to shower every morning, you can still condition it and brush through it. This is to keep fly-aways at bay. Just apply it to the baby hairs that poke out, smooth it down, and it will hold for the whole day. The last product is argon oil, it keeps frizz at bay, and it keeps split ends from happening. Now I know Princess here can't braid, but JJ has some skill and a couple tight French braids can hold for a couple days. With Desi I used to use those little plastic rubber bands so that I could just cut them out at the end of the day. You can get like 2000 for a dollar. It's helpful."

"Yeah, I totally agree," Tara said. "Once you get more comfortable with your hair, just let me know, and I'll show you all the cool different things you can do to add a little flare to your hair."

"Awesome!" Lola said. "Thank you!" She hugged Tara and Derek before running up the steps with her hair stuff.

"You guys really are awesome. I'd have no idea what I'd do without you." Emily thanked them.

"It's not a problem. Happy to do it." Tara replied kindly.

"Yeah, no problem. Now where's the pizza?" Derek joked.

Emily read with Ellie in her room before putting her to bed while JJ helped Henry finish his homework and Derek, Tara, and Lola played with the VR. Soon, Ellie was asleep, and Henry was getting ready for bed. Emily made her way to the basement living room. "Sorry to ruin the fun, but Lola and I have to be up early tomorrow."

"No problem. Good to see you." Tara said as she gathered her things.

"Yeah, I have to go take care of my dog." Derek said.

Emily widened her eyes, "Shit! The dogs!" She turned and bound up the stairs. She slipped on some shoes and ran out the back. Her first stop was Graiden's house. She knocked lightly knowing his kids would likely be asleep also.

Mel opened the door with a knowing smile, "The dogs?"

"Yes! I put them out this morning when I had to leave and completely forgot about them!" Emily cried.

"I know. They were scratching the door this morning when we got up." Mel laughed and turned behind her, "Nova! Luna!"

Emily breathed a sigh of relief when she heard their claws patter on the wood floors. She smiled and took a moment to love on the dogs before standing back up. "Mel, thank you. What would I do without you?"

"Have your animals taken away for neglect?" Melissa laughed.

"Yeah. Thank you so much. I've had a busy day." Emily replied.

"I heard. Have a good night Em. Say hello to Lola for me." Emily wasn't sure how Melissa already knew about her, but Emily also knew that nothing went on around the estate without her knowing about it.

Emily walked with the dogs back to the house. She let them in and fed them treats. Lola popped her head into the kitchen and squealed. "You have dogs?" She said as she squatted near them earning kisses from the tiny fur balls. "And you just forgot about them?"

"The tan one is Nova and the grey one is Luna. I was on autopilot this morning and just let them out, I completely forgot to let them back in in my rush to leave. Thank god the estate manager and his wife took care of them." Emily explained.

Lola laughed and continued petting them. "Why do we have to be up early tomorrow?"

Emily leaned against the counter, "I made an appointment with the school, we have to be there at nine after I get Henry and Eloise to school. They're going to test you into your classes, get you a schedule and tour the school with you."

Lola shrugged, "Okay, cool."

JJ came into the kitchen, "Hey Lola, hey Emmy." She kissed her wife before wrapping her arms around her and cuddling into her. Emily wrapped her arms around her wife in response. "What are you two talking about?"

"Well first," Emily started, "We were talking about how I forgot our dogs existed, then I was telling her about our plans tomorrow."

JJ looked up to Emily, "How did you forget about the dogs that _**you**_ wanted?"

Emily kissed her forehead, "Long story."

"Where do the dogs sleep?" Lola asked.

"They each have a bed in the office. They're pretty good, once we tell them to go to bed, they stay put for the night." Emily answered.

"Can I sleep with them?" Lola answered. "We used to have a dog that would always sleep with me. He died and I've wanted another dog ever since."

"Sure. But take their beds up with you. I don't know if they'll sleep well in a bed. They've never slept in one." JJ answered. "Emily go help her."

Emily laughed before pulling away from her wife and leading Lola to the office. They each grabbed a bed and carried it up to Lola's room. Emily spent a while trying to find a good spot for each bed in the room. Emily found suitable spots and frowned. The room wasn't particularly small, but with the way it was set up gave it even less room. "Hey, Lola?" She got a hum from the tired girl. "How about we give you the guest room. It's larger, has a bigger bed and then you will have your own bathroom and room for anything else you want in there."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. This room is fine." The teen replied politely.

Emily ignored her and picked up a dog bed, "Come on. We can find a similar bed set tomorrow."

Emily lead her to the guest room and heard Lola inhale sharply, "Wow, this room is much bigger. Are you sure you want me to have it?" She asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely. Now, let's get the dogs set up, oh also we have a black cat running around somewhere, Sergio, don't freak out or anything. Now, why don't you go get your shower stuff from the other bathroom, put it in yours, and I'll grab your clean clothes." Emily said, easily finding a spot for the beds.

When Emily came back up with Lola's clothes, the girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking into space with tears rolling down her cheeks. Emily set the hamper of clean clothes down and sat beside her on the bed. "Everything alright?"

Lola wiped the tears away with her hands, "Do you know what my name means?" Emily nodded and listened for the response, "Lola is a short version of Delores which means 'sorrows' in Spanish. My mom named me after her mother. It's like I was destined for sadness. The thing is, today was the happiest I've had in a while. Which is super messed up because my parents just died, my childhood home burned down, and I was orphaned. So how am I happy? I don't deserve all this."

Emily nodded along and felt her heart ache at how Lola saw herself. "You know, you create your own destiny, just because you name means 'sorrows' doesn't mean that is your future. You can make your life however you want it. I know you're hurting, and that's totally fine, natural even. But that doesn't mean you can't find the light in the darkness; it just means you need a new lightbulb." That earned a soft chuckle, "Yeah, not my best metaphor. What about your middle name? What does that mean?"

"My mom was Hispanic, and my dad was black, he picked my middle name because Harriet Tubman fought for the rights we have today. He wanted me to be extraordinary, so he named me after a strong woman of color. If my abuela hadn't died shortly before I was born, my first name was going to be Harriet."

"Well," Emily drawled, "Use that as your destiny if you need it. Use the strength and fighter's spirit of your namesake. You can be extraordinary, actually you already are. If you want to live up to a name, live up to that one."

Lola hugged Emily unexpectedly. A hug which Emily returned immediately. "Thank you, Emily." The girl whispered into Emily's shoulder.

"You're welcome. How about you go to bed. If you need anything from me or Jennifer, just come get us. We'll be there." Emily said before standing and calling Luna and Nova to her. "Goodnight." She said before shutting the dogs in.

Emily found JJ looking over case files in the living room. She plopped down on the couch next to the blond and let out a heavy sigh. "Everything okay?" JJ asked.

"Just fine, baby. It's just been a long day."

"For me too." The blond said, putting her book down and cuddling up with Emily.

JJ kissed up Emily's neck, "You know what will help relieve the stress?"

Emily moaned softly, "Mmm, what's that?"

JJ suddenly cupped Emily's center, the brunette ground into the pressure, "This." The blond husked into Emily's ear.

Emily stood, grabbed JJ's hand and led her to their room. Emily glanced at the other end of the hall and saw the light to Lola's room off. Emily spun JJ and backed her into their bed. She rested her weight on her wife and pinned her beneath her. Emily kissed JJ harshly. She moved her kisses to her lover's neck. She bit softly and soothed it with her warm tongue. JJ writhed beneath her wife.

Emily kissed her way down to the top of JJ's shirt before carelessly pulling it off the toned abdomen of her wife. She kiss her way up JJ's stomach, loving the way the blonde's muscles twitched under her. She circled JJ's breast with her tongue, taking her sweet time to reach her pink bud. When she finally made her way there, Emily sucked lightly while her tongue played with it.

JJ inhaled sharply at the sudden contact, arching into the touch. Emily brought her hand up to play with the neglected nipple. Emily released the one in her mouth with a pop and kissed her way back down JJ's stomach. She reached her fingers into the waist band of her wife's leggings and pulled the offending garment off quickly. She laid on her stomach between her wife's legs, resting strong thighs on her back and shoulders. She kissed her way up the blonde's thighs. She flicked her tongue out and quickly licked her way up JJ's center. Her wife bucked when the brunettes tongue grazed her clit. As soon as it was there, it was gone.

JJ whined, "Emily, please. Don't tease." Emily obliged the request by using her tongue to draw circles over the bundle of nerves. JJ moaned and threw her head back, one hand coming to rest in Emily's hair. Emily brought her finger up and inserted two roughly into her wife's entrance. She began a fast pace with her fingers and worked her tongue in a similar fashion. Soon JJ was wound tightly. "More," She gasped, "Emily, more." She commanded. Emily added a third finger and curled her fingers in her wife. JJ came undone and shook with her orgasm above Emily.

Emily helped her lover ride it out and kissed her way back up the twitching blonde's body. Emily laid on her side facing her wife. JJ slipped her hand between them and into the band of Emily's flannel pajamas. She quickly inserted two fingers, "God, you're already so wet." She husked into the brunette's ear.

"Only for you." Emily gasped out. JJ set a fast pace, the palm of her hand adding just the right amount of pressure to the older woman's clit. Emily was so close, then JJ moved and bit down on her neck, and Emily was suddenly over the edge. JJ waited for her to recover before removing her fingers and kissing her wife sweetly.

"I love you Emily."

Emily was still breathing hard, "I love you too."

And that's how they fell asleep, entangled to one another, finding comfort in the warmth from their wife.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hey y'all! I have a bunch of chapters queued up to post, so I'm going to probably post one a day until I'm out. I think that will help motivate me to keep progressing the story. As always, reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!**

At 6:30, Emily slapped the button on the alarm to turn it off. She threw the blanket off her and pulled her robe on. She walked around the bed and sat next to JJ, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. "Jennifer. Wake up." She saw her wife start to stir, "I'm going to start coffee."

Emily left her wife and made her way down to the kitchen. To her surprise, Melissa was already in the kitchen, coffee made, working on breakfast. "Ugh, Mel. What did I do to deserve you?"

"Pay handsomely." Mel quipped.

Emily poured a mug for herself and one for Jen. She went back upstairs and found JJ still in bed, but awake and scrolling through her phone. She set the mug down on the bedside table in front of her wife. JJ sat up and grabbed it, inhaling the scent deeply before taking a sip, "Mmmm, I love you."

Emily laughed, "Are you talking about me or the coffee?"

JJ laughed, "both."

Emily leant down and kissed JJ on the lips. "I'm gonna go shower and wake the kids."

"I'm going to hope this coffee wakes me up."

Emily showered quickly and dressed. She had to decide who to wake up first. She decided Lola was probably going to take the longest waking up. She padded to Lola's room. She opened the door and the light from the hallway illuminated the room enough for Emily to smile at the scene. Lola had Luna up by her head, an armed draped lazily across the small dog, and Nova was tucked in the curve of her legs. Nova popped her head up at the invasion. Emily walked over and sat near Lola, stopping to pet Nova briefly. She ran a hand up and down the teens arm, "Lola, Lola?" She sing-songed. "It's time to wake up. We have a big day." Lola groaned and curled into herself further. "I'll give you a minute to wake up, then I won't be so nice about it. You'd be surprised how affective two little kids can be." Emily patted her leg before standing up.

Emily called for the dogs to follow and let them out before waking Henry and Eloise. Emily helped Henry and Ellie get dressed and sent them to JJ, who was now fully ready, for hair and then breakfast. She went back to Lola's room and was pleased to see her coming out of the bathroom, showered and dressed. Lola saw her and smiled, "Morning Emily."

"Good morning Lola. Breakfast is done. Come down whenever."

As Emily turned to leave, Lola stopped her, "Actually, can you help me with my hair?"

Emily chuckled, "I am not the person to help with that. I actually send Ellie to Jen in the mornings to get her hair done. Do you want me to get her?"

"Yes please." She said.

Emily saw JJ in the dining room with the kids, "Hey, baby?"

"Yeah?"

"Lola needs help with her hair, think you can help?" Emily said sitting down.

"Sure. Make sure Eloise doesn't get oatmeal on her clothes." She said, pausing to kiss the top of the brunette's head.

JJ knocked on the open door to Lola's room, "I heard you needed a little help?" Lola nodded. JJ sat on the bed and gestured for the teen to sit on the floor in front of her. JJ used a hairbrush to get through the girls still damp hair. JJ spread argon oil through her hair and separated her hair into two sections. She quickly finished two tight French braids. "Alright, all done."

"Cool, thank you!" Lola hopped up and out of the room.

JJ smiled and followed her out. Lola just sat down at the table with her breakfast and some orange juice. JJ stopped behind Emily, "Okay. I have to go to work. Hopefully I'll see you guys for dinner." JJ kissed and hugged Henry and Ellie, she awkwardly hugged Lola from the side. Emily stood and kissed JJ before they hugged each other tightly.

Emily rushed to get the kids' backpack together and got shoes on.

"Momma!" Ellie whined, "I don't want to wear my boots! I want to wear sandals!"

"Eloise," Emily sighed, "We have this argument every morning. Who always wins?"

"You do." She said dejectedly.

"And why is that?" Emily questioned further.

"'Cause it's cold outside and sandals will make my toes fall off." The toddler sighed.

Emily laughed and slipped the boots on little feet. "Alright, everyone get your coats, we don't have much time." Emily was carrying Ellie out to car, a hand intertwined with Henry's and Lola close behind. Emily let Lola sit up front, so she wasn't squished between the car seats. Emily told herself to remember to remember to talk to JJ about getting a bigger car. She dropped Henry off first, he had to be at school earlier and he could just be dropped off at the front, where Ellie has to be checked in.

When Ellie was at school, Emily set off for the twenty-minute drive to Willowcrest. "Do you want to listen to music?" Emily asked.

"Yeah."

Emily grabbed her iPod from the docking port in her car, "Here. Pick whatever you like." Lola scrolled through her vast library of music before settling on a Dizzy Gelspi album. Emily was surprised at the girl's choice in music. Most teenagers don't like jazz music. "That's a surprising choice."

Lola shrugged, "Yeah, it reminds me of my dad. He loved Dizzy." She smiled at the memory.

"That's amazing. Do you play anything?" Emily asked.

"No, but I was in my middle school's jazz choir. Alto II. It was the top audition choir my school had." She said proudly.

Emily paused the music, "Sing for me."

Lola looked at her, "What?" She squeaked.

"Sing to me, I'd rather hear you." Emily said with a big smile.

Lola took a few deep breaths and sung all of La Vei En Rose, a traditional jazz ballade. When she finished Emily was shocked, that girl could sing. Like really sing.

"Lola, that was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."

Lola blushed and looked away, "Thank you." She muttered.

Emily resumed the music in the car, giving the girl time to relax again. Emily pulled into the school's visitor parking and walked in with Lola. "I'm Emily Prentiss, I called yesterday. We're here to get her registered." Emily told the receptionist.

"Oh, of course. Please sit. Someone will be right out." The woman replied before picking up the phone and calling someone.

Emily and Lola sat talking quietly when Emily heard a familiar voice behind her. "Emily Elizabeth Prentiss, do my eyes deceive me?"

Emily stood and smiled brightly at her old friend, "Scotty!" She said before accepting his warm hug, "How long has it been?"

"Since you ran away for college and never looked back." The hand blond man smirked. "The Ambassador still causing trouble?"

"Actually, she seems to have embraced domesticity, as have I. How's Senator Brawnsen?"

"You mean daddy dearest?" He laughed, "Living on some beach in Florida. What brings you to this fine school?"

"Oh! This is my foster daughter, Lola. We thought this school would be a good fit for her. What's your affiliation?"

"I'm headmaster." He stepped aside and shook Lola's hand, "Welcome to Willowcrest. We hope it will be a good fit." He stepped back to look at his old friend, "Emily and I used to wreak havoc together. Glad to see we've both changed." He winked, "Alright so first we'll get some testing out of the way. It will take about two hours, each section you have 30 minutes to complete, math, science, English, and History. This is just a placement test, pretty standard. Let me lead you to the test room, a proctor is waiting for you."

Emily sat back in the waiting room and Scott led the girl down a hall. He reappeared shortly after he left.

"Emily, why don't you come to my office, we can catch up."

Emily stood, "Of course. I'd love to."

The pair talked about their lives, Emily was delighted to hear about his five children, and sad to hear about his mother's passing. Scott was shocked by the Ambassador's retirement. He was happy to hear of his old friend's ever-growing family, marriage, and career change. When they got through talking and laughing, there was a light rap on his office door.

"She's finished with her test Mr. Brawnsen." She smiled kindly.

"Thank you, Kara. We'll be right out." He led Emily out of his office to meet back with Lola.

"How did you think it went?" Emily asked.

Lola smiled, "It was easy! Even history was just questions about the dates of major events."

"Good!" Emily turned back to Scott, "When will we get the results?"

"Just a few moments, a system automatically checks the answers, we should have a printout with the scoring in a few minutes." He led the pair to a small conference room, and sat down across from them, "While we wait, why don't you tell me some of your interests, Lola."

"Okay, well, Emily told me you guys had an impressive soccer team. That sounds cool."

"Current state champs. You'll start in time for tryouts, anything else? We need to think about some elective courses for you."

"She can sing." Emily interjected, "Like really sing. I was blown away. She has such a beautiful voice. She's very controlled too."

Lola was embarrassed, but the way Emily advocated for her reminded her of her dad. And that made Lola both sad and outrageously happy. Since her dad died, no one ever went to bat for her.

"That's wonderful, our choir director, Mrs. Dove has an off hour in about 45 minutes. I'll tell her we'll be coming; you can audition for a choir." Scott smiled at Lola.

"What? I don't have a piece prepared!" Lola cried.

"Don't worry about it, just sing what you sang me in the car, I know the piano part for it." Emily assured.

"You play piano?" Lola asked.

"Oh, Emily used to be her parents party trick. She could play whole concertos without a single wrong note. She's quite talented." Scotty answered. "Okay, so choir maybe, do you like art? We have two more possible electives to sort out. Also, one of our school's graduation requirement is a year of a foreign language, would you maybe consider that?"

"Actually, yeah. I kind of speak a little Spanish already, but it's mostly informal. I'd love to learn it formally." Lola beamed.

"Awesome, so Spanish as another. One last choice."

"Do you have photography?" Lola asked quietly.

"Yes! Is that something you'd be interested in?" Scott asked.

"Yes, my dad worked in photography, he mostly did shoots for nature books, some educational books too. But he loved it, and it paid well. I want to learn something similar."

Scott scribbled the last idea on his notepad right as the receptionist came back with the results. Scott looked them over and smiled widely. "You are a very bright young woman. Above average in Math, English and History, and the higher end of average in science. You'll be placed highly."

Emily high-fived Lola.

"Okay, let me make a quick call to the choir teacher, let her know we'll be coming." After he hung up, he looked back up, "Alright, I'll give you about half the tour on the way to the music hall. Follow me."

The music hall was on the other side of the main floor, so Scott made sure to point out any areas of importance, gym, lunchroom, art department, theater department.

The bell rang as they were ending the tour and they trio avoided the flood of girls. Scott knocked lightly on Mrs. Dove's door. "May we come in?" He asked politely.

The teacher was dancing as she cleaned up from her last class, when she heard her boss she stood, fixed her posture, and straightened her clothes before putting on a smile, "Of course. Come in! Show me what you got. Do you need accompaniment?"

Emily stepped forward, "Actually I can accompany if that's not an issue."

The director stepped away from the piano, "Of course."

Emily got situated and looked for Lola to be ready. Lola nodded and Emily played the intro, not missing a note. Lola came in right on cue. She sang a more harmonious version of the song, adding a few small runs, but still managed to stay in time and in the key. When she finished, Emily jumped up and wrapped her in a tight hug, "You did so good." She whispered in Lola's ear.

Emily turned to the director hopefully, she felt her hope jump as Mrs. Dove smiled. "Lola, that was wonderful. That was more controlled and spot on than some of my best students." She looked to Scott, "Mr. Brawnsen, put her in my Jazz choir. That is a voice of the stars."

Mr. Brawnsen nodded and smiled, "Of course, Mrs. Dove."

The trio toured the rest of the school grounds, they ended in the front office again. The receptionist handed Lola's new schedule to her. Lola looked it over and frowned, "Why is it set up like this?" she asked Mr. Brawnsen.

"Oh, we have what's called a block schedule. You only have four classes a day, two hours each, and the classes switch every other day. Day A and Day B. Studies have shown that longer class periods improve overall understanding of course material." Scott explained, Lola nodded in understanding. "Her first day will be Monday. That way it gives our system to add her to her class's attendance list. That day should be Day B. See you then." He finished with a smile.

As they walked back to Emily's car, Lola let Emily look over her schedule. "Oh cool! You have Photography, Jazz Choir, Honors Freshman English, and Honors World History in the same day. That day should be easy."

Lola climbed in the car, "Yeah, but the other day will be Algebra II, Spanish I, P.E., and Honors Biology in the same day, so it'll be harder. I wished it was more balanced."

"Well, all your core classes are honors, so you'll be placed higher on college applications."

Lola smiled, "Yeah, that is good."

"Okay," Emily started, "We have to go to the store that sells their uniforms, get you a couple, and then get some lunch, and then you and I can pick out things to decorate your room. Sound like a fun day?"

"Absolutely."

Lola got enough uniform outfits for two weeks, some had skirts, some had pants, three different styles of shirts. Emily only got a few whines about her not liking the school's shade of green. They got lunch at a local diner. Their last stop was a housing store. They got a desk for her room, lavender curtains, a grey felt papasan chair, a bookshelf, some throw pillows, and a bed set that was almost identical to what Lola had already picked out. They also got her some decorative black and white stills, a full body mirror, a cork board, a vanity mirror for her desk, a desk chair, a desk lamp, an ottoman with plenty of plush blankets to fill it, and a shelf with a few organizing buckets that matched the bed set. Emily paid for a rush delivery on the larger furniture and sent a text to Graiden, letting him know to expect it. Then, Emily thought Lola needed books and knick-knacks to fill her bookshelf, so they practically bought out a Hasting's. Emily also took her to a Staples to get school stuff and a backpack. While Emily was browsing around, she saw the newest Mac Book Pro. She asked if she got the new one for herself if Lola would want her old one. Lola seemed really excited about it. Emily kept browsing and found a new polaroid camera. She though it would be useful with her cork board. Emily got Lola a nice stereo that could connect to Bluetooth devices. Then, because JJ wasn't there to reign her in, she thought about getting Lola a Bluetooth device. So, Lola also got the new iPhone 5s. Emily also bought a card with a code for a membership to a photo editing software for her old computer. She also bought a year-long membership to iTunes music. Emily thought that a digital camera would be a nice gift for her birthday in May.

Emily bought all the expensive items away from Lola, trying to avoid a fight about the cost. When they got home, the housing company's truck was outside their house. Graiden was directing all the stuff up to Lola's room.

"Emily, Jen is going to kill you." Mel laughed from the living room, she spotted the bag in her hands and laughed harder.

"Hey! It's my money! All this was like a week's worth of my income from the company." Emily laughed back. Emily took Lola up to her room. She caught Graiden unboxing furniture. "Hey, Graiden. Would you stay up here and help us put all this together?"

"Well, Emily, I already knew you'd ask me that as soon as I got your text. My toolbox is right there." He said pointing to the dresser.

Emily set the other bags on Lola's bed. Emily sorted through everything, she grabbed her new laptop and carried it to her room, "Come on Lola, let's let the big strong man unbox everything. I need your help to set this up."

Emily and Lola curled onto Emily's bed, and Emily transferred all her history to the new computer through the cloud. Then Emily factory reset her old computer. She helped Lola set up an email and used that to set up an Apple account. "This will be used for your phone too." Emily said casually.

"A phone? What phone?" Lola said, excitement building.

"Oh, this guy." Emily said, pulling the surprise gift from her purse.

"What?! OH MY GOD! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lola cried, hugging Emily.

"You're welcome, I have a few rules though." Emily warned.

"Anything." Lola said, gently unboxing the device.

"Rule one, you only message people you know, your friends from school, my friends, people you _**know**_. Second rule, when me or Jen call, you answer, got it?" Lola nodded quickly. "Last rule, when we ask you to put it away, you put it away. It's a gift from us, so if we take it from you for grounding or anything, we are not violating any rules. Deal?"

"Deal!" Lola said.

"Okay, I'm going to need the SIM card so I can add it to our phone plan." Emily took the SIM card out and used the online service for her phone company to add a plan, then she typed in the Wi-Fi information. She handed the phone back, "Alright you are all set up, now I have to pick up the kids, do you want to come?"

"Yeah!" Lola said uncurling herself and plopping ungraciously from the large bed.

Emily stopped by Lola's room and told Graiden where she was going, and asked him to put things together, and when she got back, they would rearrange. On their way out, Mel stopped them, "Em, I finished all of Lola's clothes, do you want me to go put them away for her?"

"Actually, can you just put them in a hamper and drop it in her room? We haven't decided where to put everything." Emily asked.

"Sure thing, anything else?"

"Can you wash the new bed set? We dropped it somewhere in the living room?" Emily asked.

"Of course, I'll get her new uniforms clean too."

Emily kissed Mel on the cheek, "You are the absolute best Melissa!"

And with that, the pair were off.


	18. Chapter 18

By the time Emily got home with the kids, Harlan was off the bus, and Mel was watching him and Jaylee in the main house. "Hey, Mel?"

"Yes, I'll watch the kids. I'm making snacks for them right now." Mel said, not turning around in the kitchen.

"You deserve a raise!" Emily called as she and Lola ran up the stairs.

Graiden had already built the papasan chair and the desk. He was currently working on the bookshelf. Emily looked to Lola, "Let's start helping build stuff, you and I can assemble the desk chair. It should be easy enough."

Emily was right, the chair was really easy, it was just the chair that popped onto the wheels. She looked at Lola, "Hold on, I think we need reinforcements for the decorations." Emily pulled out her phone and dialed a number by heart.

"Oracle of all-knowing, Penelope Garcia, at your service."

"Hey Pen, it's me!" Emily said happily.

"Emster! It's so good to hear from you! Today's been a drag! What's up?"

"Lola and I need help decorating her room, do you think you can get Tara to come too? A girl's night? There will be wine involved." Emily bribed.

"Baby, you had me at decorating!" Pen joked, "We're all almost done at the office. I'll let the girls know."

"Cool, see you soon Pen!" Emily smiled into the phone.

"Was that the quirky tech girl that works with Jen?" Lola asked.

"Yeah."

"Cool, I liked her." The teen smiled.

"Everyone does, now let's try and organize your school stuff, while slow-poke over there finishes building." Emily joked, earning a chunk of Styrofoam being thrown her way.

By the time they unwrapped and sorted everything out, Emily heard laughter float up the halls from the front door. Penelope and Tara were the first to the room, "Hey guys!" Emily beamed.

"Alright, let's see what you got." Penelope said, diving in to snoop through all the bags.

Emily looked to Tara while Penelope ogled, "Where's Jen?"

"Greeting the kids and talking with Melissa about dinner." Tara said before plopping on the bed with Emily and Lola. "I heard Ellie's birthday is coming up?"

Emily sighed, "Yeah, March 10th. My mother is already trying to plan a big event. I think we're just going to invite the kids from her school, get a couple bouncy castles, and have it here."

Tara laughed, "And what does your mother want?"

JJ leaned against the door frame, "A gala." She joked. Then she glared at her wife, who gulped at the look, "Emily? A word?"

"Yes, dear." Emily said before standing quickly and meeting her wife in their room, closing the door behind her.

"What did you get Lola?" She asked sternly.

"Well I told you we were going to redecorate her room." Emily said lamely.

"You know that's not what I meant. You know I have access to our financial records."

"Yes, okay. Well, you see, I got Lola a gift for every honors class she made it into." Emily said nervously.

"How many honors classes did she get into? And, what did you get for each class?" Man, if looks could kill, Emily would have died, been revived, and murdered again.

"Okay, for Honors English she got the stereo, for Honors Bio she got a polaroid camera, for Honors World History, she got my old laptop, I got a new one, for the math class above her grade level, Algebra II, she got a phone, and then she also made the top audition choir so I got her an iTunes subscription." Emily finished quickly.

"You got her a phone?!" JJ growled.

"Yes, but I explained the rules to her and she's a teen, it's important for them to socialize." Emily explained.

"What did you say the rules were?"

"She could only use it to talk to people she knew, no internet creeps, when we call, she answers, and when we tell her to put it away, it goes away. We also have the right to take it away at any indiscretion, so really, I just gave us leverage."

JJ sighed heavily, "Emily, no more shopping sprees without me, okay? I know you're an heiress, but if you spend like this every time one of the kids are sad, we will be broke by 60. Now, I'm going to get wine for us, Mel is making baked ziti. Let's go decorate."

Emily hugged JJ tightly, "I love you."

JJ squeezed tighter, "I love you too." As Emily started to pull away, she caught her, "Oh and one more thing," JJ whispered, "I get to top tonight." She growled into Emily's ear. Emily gulped, but nodded as they pulled away.

Emily retreated back into Lola's room. Lola was on her phone, "Hey, what are you doing?" Emily asked.

"I'm downloading music. Thank you for the iTunes. I love music so much; it means a lot."

"Of course, it was my pleasure." Emily paused, "Okay our next task is to get all your clothes away. There's a couple packages of hangers on the floor of the closet, go grab them."

As Emily and Lola sorted and put away the teen's clothes, they got the occasional, "oooh, that's cute," or "I love that!" from Tara and Penelope. Jennifer came back up with Mel, Jen had the wine, a sprite for Lola, and Mel had Lola's bed set and uniforms. Emily sectioned off a section of her closet for the uniforms. When all the clothes were put away, Graiden was finishing the last thing to put together, the organizing shelf.

"Alright, ladies! Time to get to work. Graiden? You are good to go, if we need to move anything, I think we can handle it. We're strong women." Emily smirked.

The group worked to put the bed against a different wall, then they changed the bedding to the new set. They put a dog bed on each side of the desk. With that done, they filled the desk drawers with extra writing utensils, and notepads. They added the cork board to the wall behind it, securing it well. They topped the desk with the lamp, some of the knick-knacks, the vanity mirror and the laptop. They filled the bookshelf with all the books Lola got, the rest of the knick-knacks, and a section for her camera stuff. Lola didn't have enough stuff to fill the organizing shelf, but Emily knew she really wanted a record player and the totes were the perfect size for vinyls. She thought that would also make a good birthday gift. They threw the throw pillows onto the bed and the chairs. They set up the stereo on the dresser. The last thing they did was decorate the walls with the stills, and the curtains.

Mel came in to let them know dinner was ready, "Hey, let me take a picture of you ladies!"

"Wait!" Lola called, "I want this to be the first picture on my board!"

Lola prepared the camera and instructed Melissa on how to use it. The women all held up their drinks in celebration, even Lola with her Sprite. The picture came out and Lola waited for it to develop before she pinned it to the board. She smiled and followed the women out to the dining room.

The rest of the night went great, dinner was delicious, the kids went down easy. Lola was up in her room figuring out all the cool things her phone could do. Emily and Jennifer were watching trashy TV in the living room when Lola came down.

"Emily?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"I think I started my period." Lola said quietly.

JJ and Emily both gave her their full attention at this. "Okay, uhm, is this the first time you've ever had it?" JJ asked.

"Yeah." She responded in a whisper.

"Okay, come on, Em. We have momming to do." JJ said determinedly.

JJ brought Lola to their bathroom, she ran a hot bath and turned the jets on. She added bubbles and lit some candles. "Okay, this will make your muscles feel amazing." As the bath filled Emily went to get some pajamas for the teen. "Did you get any blood on your clothes?"

"Yeah, but I already changed." Lola said, the way both women were treating it so casually wiped away any previous embarrassment.

"Okay," JJ grabbed something from the cabinet under the bathroom sink, "Follow me."

Emily stayed and watched the bath fill, making sure it didn't overflow.

"Okay," JJ started, "This is hydrogen peroxide. It will remove all the blood stains from your clothes. Then, rinse it in cold water and put it in the hamper. Do that and meet us back in the bathroom."

JJ was sitting with Emily in their bathroom. While Lola's room did have a bathroom, it only had a shower. Both women knew very well how much a hot bath could help, but with the jets? It would be heaven. Lola walked back in and Emily and JJ were laughing about something Penelope said.

JJ looked to her wife, "Okay, Em, time for a demonstration."

Emily finished her last gulp of wine and stood, she grabbed a pad from the cabinet and a pair of her own underwear, "So, you'll want to stick with pads for the first few periods you get. Just peel back the big sticker and apply it to the underwear here," She said demonstrating, "Then peel the stickers off these wing thingies and wrap them around the back, and boom! Full coverage."

JJ grabbed a tampon, "I'm going to show you how this works just so you know for when you think you're ready. You just insert the plastic applicator and push the plunger and you're good to go."

"Okay, seems easy." Lola shrugged.

"Yep, now take as long as you need in the bath, then when you're out apply the pad and you should be good for the night. If not, we already know how to remove blood stains." Emily reassured.

Emily and JJ went back to the living room. Emily was playing the piano softly, and JJ was reading.

Lola came back down after about thirty minutes. Emily looked up at her and smiled, not stopping her song, "All good?" She asked.

"Yep! You were right, that bath made muscles I didn't even realize were hurting feel better." Lola walked over to the piano, "Can you teach me how to play?"

"I'm not much of a teacher, but I've been thinking of getting Henry a tutor, do you want one too?" Emily asked, she continued the music from memory as she talked.

"Yeah! I would love that." Lola said back. Lola yawned and stretched out, "Well I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight Emily, night JJ."

"Goodnight, Lola." Emily called behind her.

"Sweet dreams." JJ said.

Thursday and Friday flew by, Jennifer was delighted to find out she had the weekend off. Saturday morning after breakfast, JJ found Lola playing with Henry and Ellie. JJ took a moment to smile at the scene, "Hey, Lola?"

"Yeah?" Lola said, turning to look at the blond woman.

"Do you want to run some soccer practice drills with me?" JJ asked hopefully.

Lola hopped up, "Yes! I haven't played in a while; I need to get back in shape if I have any chance to make the team."

JJ laughed at the teen's enthusiasm, "Okay, go change, and wear a jacket, it's still kind of chilly."

Lola moved to leave but stopped, "JJ? I don't have a jacket. Emily got me a winter coat, but I couldn't practice in that."

"Oh, I'll get you something, just put on some clothes you can work out in. I won't go easy on you. Plus, working out helps relieve," JJ gestured to her abdomen, "cramps."

Lola smiled, "Oh, cool! I'll be right back." Lola took off up the stairs.

JJ went to her own closet and fished out her old pair of soccer cleats. She found her old Penn State sports hoodie too. She met Lola back in the living room. JJ was carrying her old soccer ball under one arm and the jacket for Lola in the other.

JJ and Lola were giving each other their best, trying to get the ball in the other's small mesh net. Emily walked out with Ellie and Henry. While there wasn't much snow on the ground, it was still cold and muddy, so each kid had a poofy jacket on and rain boots on. Emily walked out just in time to see Lola slide into a kick, effectively avoiding JJ and scoring in one move.

Emily cheered for Lola, getting the attention of both athletes.

"What are you doing?" JJ asked, moseying towards her wife and youngest children.

"I thought I could start getting Henry comfortable on a horse, and I couldn't just let Ellie stay alone in the house. I'm going to start him on Jacques, she's calmer and is used to riding. Graiden is still working with Hiccup." Emily explained.

"You guys have horses?" Lola asked incredulously.

"Yeah, and some goats. The pasture is kind of tucked away, if you don't know where to look, and if they aren't in the pasture you wouldn't know. Want to come?" Emily opened the invite.

"Yeah! My grandparents used to have horses. I haven't seen one since I was six!" Lola beamed.

Emily loved how some of the simplest things could earn her that bright smile. JJ picked up Ellie, so she didn't have to trudge all the way there. When they got to the barn, JJ let her down. JJ and Ellie went to play with the goats immediately. Sometimes the horses could still scare her.

Emily strapped the tame horse into the saddle. When it all looked tight, Emily got Jacques into her halter so she could be led easily. She turned to Lola, "Hey, do you want to ride with Henry? It would be easier to help him stay put on this huge saddle."

"Yes!" Lola answered immediately. Emily helped Lola mount the horse before she lifted Henry to sit in front of her on the saddle. Both kids fit easily.

"Emily, be careful please." JJ called from the goat pen.

"I've got this. We're just going to walk around the pasture so they can get comfortable on the horse." The older woman assured.

Emily led the horse out and as promised just walked her around a couple times.

The rest of the weekend went smoothly. It was laid back, the most the family did was play soccer and swim together.

Monday came and Lola was up before Emily and JJ. She was nervous for her first day. "It'll be amazing." JJ told her.

When all the kids were ready, Lola handed her camera to JJ, "Can you take a picture of me, Henry and Ellie?"

JJ happily took the picture. JJ was the first out the door. After Emily arranged for Melissa to take Henry and Ellie to school, Emily got in the car with Lola. Emily made sure she could get Lola to school on her first day. Emily dropped her off but stopped the teen before she left the car.

"Have a good first day, Lola. Try to make friends and call me if you need anything." Emily said softly.

Lola wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, "Thank you, Emily."

Emily hugged her back. When Lola pulled away, Emily wiped a tear away, "Okay. Have fun today."

"You too." Lola said before shutting the door.

Emily waited until Lola got all the way into the school before pulling away.

JJ stopped by the house on her lunch and found Emily in the kitchen. "Hey, Emmy. What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Making bread." Emily responded casually.

"Bored?" JJ joked.

Emily groaned, "Oh my god! I'm so bored!" JJ laughed, "Why are you home?"

"I forgot some files. I don't have much time." JJ said.

"Okay, I'll keep making bread, I guess." Emily groaned.

"Why don't you call your mom? Or do some chores?" JJ suggested.

"The whole house has been cleaned, clothes are in the wash, the clothes that are done are already put away. I just can't keep staring at inventory reports all day."

JJ kissed her wife, "I'm sorry. Call your parents. Talk about Ellie's birthday, talk about Lola. Make dinner plans. Oh, also my parents plan to come down for her birthday because they missed Christmas."

"Yeah, I think I will call them." Emily said.

After Emily finished her bread, she did just that.

"Emmy, dear. It is so good to hear from you."

"Hey mom. I wanted to talk with you about Ellie's birthday." Emily began, "We were planning on getting a couple bouncy houses, invite her classmates, the BAU, you guys and JJ's parents are planning to come."

"That sounds lovely. Do you have a theme?"

"Uh, no. I don't know what a good theme would be."

"Well, what does she like?" Elizabeth asked, "Also think about adding a gift registry to the invite. It's rather convenient."

"I will think about it. Right now, she really likes rainbows. All the art she brings home has at least one rainbow."

"Well then just decorate with every color and some rainbow balloons or something and get her a confetti cake. I think she'd like that." Liz suggested.

"That's a good idea mom." Emily replied.

"Oh, Emily, don't act so surprised. I planned all your parties." Liz laughed.

"We should plan for a night for you and Dad to come over for dinner." Emily said, not even bothering to address the critique. "That way, you can formally meet Lola."

"That sounds wonderful. What day is best?"

"Tuesday and Thursday Henry has swimming, Friday is BAU family dinner, so I think Wednesday?" The ambassador's daughter suggested.

"We will be there."

Emily and her mother talked on the phone for much longer than Emily expected. By the time they were done, Emily was pulling the bread out of the oven before she had to pick up the kids.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey y'all! I know I've been MIA. Sorry for that! But, I have been sitting on a BUNCH of chapters and I'm going to post them all today! So enjoy the influx of fuckery.**

Wednesday afternoon, Emily picked up Ellie, Henry, then Lola. Emily knew she had to figure out a better schedule for school, Lola was the only kid who could hang around campus until Emily made her way there. They had been lucky enough to have JJ home to help in the mornings.

Lola spotted the car and waved to a group of girls before jogging in that direction. She sat in the passenger seat and dropped the bag to her feet. Emily looked over as she started to pull away, "Are those your friends?"

Lola smiled shyly, "Yeah. Aaliyah, Parker, and Quinn. They're in choir with me. Well, actually we have a lot of classes together."

"That's good!" Emily encouraged, "You know if you ever wanted to invite them over, that would totally okay. Sleep-overs and all that."

The teen nodded, looking out the window. "Thank you, I'll think about it."

By the time they got home, Ellie was asleep in her car seat. Her class had taken a field trip to the Smithsonian. The trip apparently tuckered out the little girl. "Lola, Henry, can you two go start your homework? I'll be in to help you after I get her down." Emily asked.

"Then snacks?" Henry asked, kicking his shoes off by the door.

"Yeah, then I'll make you a snack."

Emily made her way back down the stairs and put Henry's shoes in the rack by the door. She grabbed some snacks for both kids and brought it to the dining room where they both worked. Lola had an area in her room to do her work, but she only used it if she was working on math. Emily worked with both kids until she heard the chime of the security system at the gate. Emily wondered who it could be, JJ already knew the code, her parents weren't due for another two hours. She checked the camera and saw Sarah Daye through the camera positioned at the gate. Emily buzzed the gate open.

She opened the door before the social worker had a chance to knock. "Okay, Sarah. I know for a fact I didn't schedule anything." Emily joked nervously.

Sarah smiled, "It's good new, Emily."

Emily and Sarah sat across from each other in the living room, the coffee table between them. Sarah pulled a folder out of her bag and slid it across the table to Emily.

Emily opened it and read carefully, "A court date?"

Sarah's smile widened, "That means you and JJ have been approved by social services to adopt Eloise. All you have to do is appear before a judge, it's more of a formality. Once you get this far, you're almost guaranteed approval. The judge mostly counts what the social worker says."

Emily stared at Sarah, "You mean, we're getting her? She can be ours?"

Sarah nodded, "Emily, you and JJ have gone above and beyond for her, and Lola. It would be an injustice to Eloise to deny the request."

Emily stood, clutching the forms tightly in her hand, before hugging Sarah. Emily would never admit it, but she squealed like a little girl in her moment of excitement.

Just then, Eloise trotted down the stairs, rubbing her eyes, "Momma! Too loud!" she whined.

Emily ignored her complaint and ran to her, pulling the girl into her arms and twirling with her. She kissed the girl all over her face, earning a loud giggle.

"Oh, Eloise! I love you! I love you! I love you!" Emily cried.

Ellie held on tightly to her Momma, "I love you." She whispered back.

Lola and Henry were standing in the hall watching, and laughing at, the interaction.

JJ arrived shortly after Sarah left. She was barely inside the house before Emily kissed her lip passionately. When Emily pulled away, she rested their foreheads together. JJ was breathing heavily from the moment, "What was that for?" she whispered against her wife's lips.

"We've been approved to adopt Eloise." Emily whispered back, her smile returning full force.

JJ stepped back and looked at her wife, her own smile breaking onto her face, "What?" she asked dumbly.

"All we need is a judge to sign off. Sarah said that it was pretty much a done deal. The judge is just a formality." Emily explained before giving JJ another loving kiss.

"When will your parents be here?"

"About thirty minutes. We should get the kids ready."

"We have to get them ready for dinner in our own home?" JJ winked.

"You know my parents."

The couple maid their way to the playroom where Henry and Ellie were. "Ellie, come here." JJ said. She picked the girl up and hugged her tightly.

"That's too tight Mommy!" The toddler said, fighting JJ.

The blond didn't relinquish her grasp, "I just love you." JJ enjoyed the moment for a few seconds more and eased up. "Okay, we have to get ready for dinner with Grandma Liz and Papa."

While this was going on, Emily had already snagged Henry, and was helping him change. "Emmy?" he asked as she changed his shirt.

She paused and looked at Henry, "What's up, Big Man?"

"Are we keeping Ellie?"

Emily brushed his blond hair off his face, "Yeah. Is that okay?"

He nodded and smiled, "Yeah. I love Ellie. Can I call you Momma like her?" He paused and saw Emily's face change, "You know, so she doesn't get confused?" He added hastily.

Emily grinned at him, any more days like today were going to kill her, but man, it was a good way to go. "I would love that very much. I think Ellie would too." Emily knew he added that part as an excuse, but she played along to make him feel better.

"Okay. I'm hungry." He said, indicating for her to hurry up changing him.

Emily finished with Henry and told him to go downstairs to finish playing. She knocked lightly on Lola's room.

"Come in!" She heard Lola call.

"Hey, my parents will be here soon, can you change into a 'Sunday best' kind of outfit. My parents are kind of… pompous." Emily chuckled.

"Yeah! Do you want to pick it out? I don't know what to wear to impress them." Lola watched as Emily fished through her closet. "Hey, Emily?" she started and heard a hum from the woman in response, "Do you think they'll like me?" She asked nervously.

Emily turned back around with a blue flowy dress with flowers on it, "You know, when I was your age, I never would have thought my parents could like anyone. But now, I think they'll like you because you're with me. Jen and I always joke that they've gotten soft in their old age, but I think they always had it in them, they just had to hide away that vulnerability to do well in their careers." Emily answered earnestly, passing the dress and her dress flats to Lola.

"What did they do for work?" She asked.

"Career Politicians. My mother was a foreign ambassador and my father was on the Senate for quite a few years."

Lola laughed, "God, that sounds so boring!" She joked.

Emily joined in the laughter, "You have no idea! My family dinners were eaten in silence because that was more entertaining than their work conversations. Now, they tell stories to Henry and Ellie of their more exotic stories. I'm a little jealous, but I'm also glad they've changed so much."

"Yeah, I can see that." Lola said.

"Okay, well I'm going to let you get dressed. Leave your phone up here for dinner. I don't need the scolding from my mother." Emily winked as she walked out, shutting the door behind her.

Dinner went well, there were no meltdowns, no bitter arguments, just laughter and love. Emily and JJ got to sleep later than they would have like, but it didn't matter to them. At around three the next morning, the ringing of JJ's phone woke her up. She blearily fished around her nightstand for it. "Hello?" She answered.

"We have a case." Hotch deadpanned, "Be at the debriefing in an hour."

"Okay. I'll be there." JJ said before hanging up.

When she turned on the dim light by the bed, Emily began to stir. "Case?" she asked sleepily

"Yeah. Go back to sleep." JJ leant over and kissed Emily softly.

When she turned to stand and get ready, she saw Lola, sprawled out between the two chairs in their room, a blanket pulled up over her head. JJ walked over and gently nudged her, "Lola. Sweety, what's wrong?"

Lola pulled the blanket away and her lip quivered as she tried to force the tears away, "I had a nightmare. I felt safer in here, I'm sorry!" She whimpered.

JJ shushed her, "It's okay. You could have just woken us up. It's not a problem."

Emily sat up, threw the blankets back where JJ was and patted the bed, "Come on, you can sleep with me."

Lola stood, leaving the blanket in the chair and crawled in bed with Emily. Emily pulled the girl to her and played with her messy hair. Emily fell back asleep quickly, when Lola thought she was out cold, she pulled herself tighter to Emily, "Thank you, Emily. I love you."

"Love you too." The older woman mumbled and returned the warm hug.

When Emily's alarm went off, Lola was starfished on her stomach, taking up most of the bed, her limbs covering Emily too. Emily carefully extracted herself and got ready quickly before waking all the kids to repeat the pattern.

Emily called her mother to drop Lola off, the teen came into the kitchen to eat the breakfast Emily made, "My mom is going to drop you off at school since JJ had to leave. Is that okay?" Emily asked as she got plates for Ellie and Henry.

"Yeah, that's fine. Uhm, you said I could have friends over, is it okay if I have a sleep over this Saturday?" Lola asked timidly.

"Of course! Now, eat quickly. We don't have much time this morning." Emily said before running off. "Oh," She called, stopping abruptly, "you and Henry have piano lessons Saturday morning, so if we have it Saturday afternoon, there isn't an issue. Have their parents call me!" With that she was gone again.

"Hey, Emmy. We just wrapped up the case." JJ said through the phone. It was Saturday morning and Emily was still making breakfast while the kids watched Saturday morning cartoons. Well, Henry and Eloise watched them, Lola was simply sitting in the same room with headphones on as she tried to take a nap.

"Okay, when will you guys be back?" She asked, pressing the phone between her head and shoulder as she whisked the crepe batter.

"Uh, D.C. time, about 2 or 3 this afternoon."

"How was sunny California?" Emily asked, "Sun and beach waves?"

"More like murder and rain." JJ deadpanned.

"Well, at least when you get home, you'll have a house full of teenage girls. That'll be quite the way to relax." The brunette teased.

"Ughhh!" JJ groaned, "I forgot that was tonight. On second thought, we need to tie up some loose ends. Won't be home until tomorrow evening."

"Oh, no you don't. In one call I could end Hotchner's career if you don't get back here before dinner. I think he'd gladly listen to me over you." Emily added, spreading the last of the batter over the hot pan.

"Don't pull rank on me Prentiss! You don't even work for the Bureau anymore!"

Emily laughed heartily, "I'll see you when you get home. I have to feed your children, so I'm gonna go."

JJ groaned, "Mmm, what are you making?"

"Crepes."

"Why do you never cook those when I'm home?" The blond whined.

"Because you would be appalled at how much sugar I let the kids indulge in with them." Emily said candidly. "Okay, I just finished the last one. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

"Bye." Emily said before quickly hanging up, "Kids! Breakfast!" She hollered.

Ellie was the first to slide into the kitchen, her socks slipping on the tiled surface. Emily reached out just in time to catch her. She rested the girl against her hip, "Okay guys, crepes. There's a lot of fruit set out, and more sweets than Jen would ever allow. You know the rule, at least a big handful of fruit. Oh, also bacon. Henry let me get Ellie's and I'll help with yours, deal?"

He sighed, he just wanted whipped cream a soon as possible. "Okay." He said sadly.

Lola laughed, "I can help him Emily. Is that okay?"

Emily smiled as she dropped a crepe onto a plastic plate for Ellie, "More than okay. Just watch him with the syrup please."

Emily helped Ellie with hers. The crepes were big, so she got the girl one. She cut up the pastry and threw it together with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, powdered sugar, and whipped cream. Lola helped Henry load his with the same fruits, syrup and a drizzle of Nutella. Emily carried both plates to the dining room to avoid any messes. She got back to the kitchen and filled the bowls for Luna and Nova before she stepped to where the food was. She saw Lola spreading cream cheese on one side of her pastry and Nutella on the other.

"Oooh, good idea!" Emily said before reaching for both toppings.

"Yeah, it sounded really good, let's just hope it lives up to the expectation." She laughed as she filled in with fruits before folding it and topping it with powdered sugar and syrup.

Emily was just about done prepping her breakfast when Henry came back to the kitchen, "Momma, you forgot drinks."

Emily smiled, "You are absolutely right! What do you and Ellie want?" She asked. She saw Lola grab her usual breakfast drink, orange juice, before she went to the dining table.

"Milk. We both want it." Then he turned on his heel and left the room.

Emily got both kids their drinks before sitting down for her breakfast. She was just about to the first bite when the doorbell rang. She growled, "Fuck me." She muttered under her breath. She didn't know who it was, but whoever it was already knew the security passcode so she would have preferred they just waltz in at this point so she could eat her god damn crepes.

She swung the door open to reveal Penelope Garcia, the one and only. "I heard you made crepes. I thought I'd pop by." She smiled cheekily.

Emily stepped back from the door, "Kitchen. Help yourself. Coffee is warm. Take whatever you want." Emily disappeared into the house to finally eat.

"Are you excited for your sleepover?" Penelope asked Lola.

"Yes! I spend a lot of time with them at school, so it's nice to have time with them outside school." The teen explained.

"I remember those days. There's nothing quite like a group of girls who just let the world wash off around them as they watch trashy movies and gossip." Penelope laughed. She and Lola were playing a board game with Henry so Emily could wash the stickiness off Ellie. Penelope stroked her hand down Sergio who always made her lap his home when she was over.

"Exactly." Lola said, reaching out to scratch the soft furball. "You know, I've been here almost a month, and this is the first time I've seen this cat. Emily told me about him, but I haven't seen him." She laughed.

"Yeah, ever since Emily got the dogs and the gaggle of children, he's become quite the hider. I can barely convince him to let me pet him." She scratched his favorite spot, "Isn't that right, Serg?"

Ellie came running into the room, causing Sergio to quickly sprint by her, "Aunt Penny! Look! It's the outfit you got me!" She yelled, spinning to show it off.

"Wow! It looks great! Do you love it as much as I do?" She said leaning forward and pulled her into a hug.

"Yep!"

"Henry." Emily said from the hall, "Time for your bath. We have to be quick; the piano teacher should be here in an hour. Lola, why don't you shower while I get him ready?"

Emily dressed Henry in an outfit Penelope got him. It was a designer track suit with his name embroidered on the hip of the pants and the chest of the jacket.

Pen squealed with excitement at it and Henry was so used to her usually flamboyance, he didn't even flinch.

Henry's lesson was long, and Emily got bored watching it. But, every time he looked at her with excitement when he did something right, he felt joyous with him. Lola's lesson was more interesting, though Emily already knew what she was learning. Lola could read some music from choir, she had a fundamental understanding of music theory, she just had to learn how to apply it to a different instrument. Emily was impressed at how well she was picking up piano.

"Great job, Lola!" The teacher, Nadine, praised. "We're done for the day, but here is some sheet music with all the scales on it and their corresponding arpeggios. I want you to practice each twice, once in treble clef, once in bass clef. I'll see you next week."

Emily shook her hand, "Thank you, Nadine. Should I make the check out to you?"

"Yes, that will work. Henry's homework is to just work on his hand placements and to study the C scale. That will help him understand how to read the music and apply it." She noted.

Lola was working on her piano homework by the time Emily finished walking Nadine out. Emily stopped by her and smoothed her hair away from her face. "You're doing really well." She stated, "So Aaliyah, Parker and Quinn's parents all called me. They should be arriving tonight at 4:30."

Lola stood from the piano, "Okay, I'm going to go clean my room and get ready."

"Okay, hun. Jen will be home around 3:30." Emily informed before the girl nodded.

"Mr. Kilmer, please, come in. You must be Quinn." Emily smiled brightly and shook both their hands.

Emily saw the man eye her body, "Please call me James." He said with an air of confidence.

JJ must have sensed this from the other room, because she came up by Emily, protectively wrapping her arm around the taller woman. She kissed her wife's cheek, "Who is this baby?" She asked with false sweetness.

Emily raised an eyebrow challengingly, "This is James Kilmer. Quinn's father."

JJ covered her pride as his ego deflated, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Can we offer you anything to drink?"

He shook his head, "Actually I have to work. I'm on the night shift tonight. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well." Emily composed, "Drive safely."

Parker Andersen was dropped off by her mom and Emily laughed about her last name.

When Aaliyah's father dropped her off, he exchanged pleasantries before looking to his daughter, "_Aaliyah Marie Cortes be good. No bullshit tonight, got it_?" He asked harshly in Spanish.

His daughter rolled her eyes and Emily saw her about to talk back. So, she answered in fluent Spanish, "_I'm sure she'll be just fine. Right Aaliyah_?"

The man looked shocked for a moment but smiled afterwards, "I think I'll like you Ms. Prentiss. Good evening."

"Goodnight."

Emily led the last girl up to Lola's room. All the teens were lounging around the room, "Okay, ladies. There are three guest rooms open, but you are more than welcome to sleep wherever. The basement living room is all yours after Jen and I go to bed. For dinner we're making pizza, the dough is ready whenever you guys are. You'll make your own, we have plenty of toppings. Just let me know. Have fun!" Emily ended her speech and left the room.

Emily sat with JJ in the playroom with Henry and Ellie. They played a movie while the kids played. After 5:30 Emily stood, "I'm going to get the kitchen set up, the oven started, and then I'll make ours first, so when the girls come down, they can just go ahead." She leant over and kissed her wife before walking off.

The first pizza she made for her and JJ was a basil and fresh mozzarella pizza with the expensive cheese that comes in a wet ball, a product her company imports, and a garlic infused olive oil instead of marinara. The next she made was a pepperoni, also imported, and green pepper. By the time that was done, she assumed the smell had wafted upstairs because four girls appeared in the kitchen.

"Hungry?" Emily asked, not having to look behind her to know who was there.

"Yeah!" Lola answered.

Emily instructed the girls on what ingredients were what before she showed them what to do and what to cook them on. "Have at it. Let me know if you need help."

Lola smiled as Emily walked away and waited for her friends to step up to the counter first. "Are you thirsty? We have some sodas." Lola got all the girls their drinks and stood next to them to start her own.

"Your moms are so cool" Quinn said absent mindedly.

Parker sharply elbowed her friend, "Quinn!" She whisper-yelled.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry Lola. That was dumb to say." Quinn said quietly, quilt washing over her face.

Lola took a sip of her sprite. "No, it's okay. Jen and Emily have been better moms than my actual mom."

Aaliyah looked hesitant in her question but asked, "How's that?"

Lola looked down, "You don't want to know. It's pretty fucked up." Lola didn't know how Emily and JJ would feel about her swearing, but she felt comfortable around her friends.

Aaliyah, usually the badass of the group, softened and stopped making her dinner, "Come on, Lola. It's okay. We're friends now. If you're hurting, we're hurting. You can be completely open with us. We won't judge you."

Lola sighed, if she didn't open up now it would fester all night and ruin the mood. If she did it now, they could get over it and resume the sleep over with normalcy. "So, you know what my step-dad did. Well I told my mom and she called me a liar, a whore. She sided with him. A couple nights ago I had a nightmare. When I woke up from it, I just felt the need to be closer to JJ and Emily. I didn't even think about what I was doing. I just grabbed a blanket and snuck into their room and fell back asleep on the chairs in their room. JJ woke up early to go to work and saw me. I thought she would be mad because after my mom remarried, she hated when I wanted to sleep with them. She would yell and spank me and put me back in my room. She even put a lock on the outside of my room so I couldn't leave it after bedtime. But when JJ found me, she told it was alright and Emily invited me into the bed with her. She just held me and that was the first time I've felt safe since my dad died." Lola wiped the tears off her face. "That was also the first time I realized I loved Emily and JJ more than I thought I could after all my shit. I'm just… so unbelievably grateful."

Aaliyah also wiped away a few tears that had fallen from the heartache of her friend. She hugged Lola tightly, then Quinn and Parker joined too. Lola laughed and fought her way out of the center of the group hug, "No. No more crying. I'm hungry."

She earned a few laughs, but they all finished making their pizzas. Parker made a plain cheese pizza with marinara, Aaliyah loaded hers up with cheese and meat and only a little bit of sauce, Lola made hers with half alfredo and veggies and the other half had marinara with pepperoni and sausage. Quinn fished through the fridge and pulled out the ranch before using it as a sauce adding the shredded chicken and bacon Emily set out.

Aaliyah looked over and scoffed. Quinn glared at her friend, "What?"

Aaliyah shrugged, "Nothing." Then added, "Gringo" under her breath.

The kitchen filled with laughter.

JJ and Emily had been standing out in the hall listening to the conversation for some time. "If that unsub hadn't killed her mother, I think I would have." Emily said venomously, "I mean how could you just do that? Choose mediocre sex and alcoholism over your own child?" She whispered loudly.

"Shhh." Her wife scolded, "Em, how do you know about the case?"

"You left the case file out and I got bored." She shrugged.

JJ laughed quietly, "Emmy, I'm hungry. Can we go in now? They're done being emotional." She whined.

"No. It'll look to suspicious. Might make her nervous. We have to wait for a bit." Emily heard the gringo comment and the laughter and found their opening, "Follow my lead." She said like it was a serious mission. She stood and walked in confidently, "What's all this laughter about?" She asked casually.

Lola finished laughing and shook her head, "Nothing. What's up?"

JJ reached for their pizzas. "Nothing. Just thought your brother and sister might like to eat before bedtime." She remarked, testing out the sibling part. When there were no adverse remarks, she continued, "Then we'll be out of your hair. You can eat in your room this time, just make sure you bring all the dishes back down. Deal?"

All the girls nodded, "Deal." They replied in unison before laughing again. JJ and Emily reveled in the happiness of Lola. It was more than they could have ever asked of her since they brought her home. The therapy and change of pace must be doing really good for her. It was all they could have asked for.


	20. Chapter 20

February 26th, 2013

"Lola!" JJ hollered up the stairs, "Come on! This is really not a thing you can be late for!"

JJ heart Emily from the other room, "Eloise! Do not take your shoes off, we're about to leave!"

Lola stomped down the stairs and grabbed a jacket to go over her dress. The ladies were all wearing some form of a red dress, and Henry had on black pants with a red button up shirt and a black bowtie. Today was adoption day. The day Ellie became theirs, and they were going to be late to the courthouse if they didn't hurry.

Emily picked up Ellie and ushered Henry to walk faster as the all went out to the car. Emily told Lola to buckle her in from the back as JJ and Emily got into the front.

Derek was waiting outside the courtroom pacing, wearing his Sunday best, when he saw his friends burst in the quiet hallway. "Where were you? Get in there!"

The group walked in and Derek sat on a bench next to the rest of BAU family and the Prentiss's while the family hurriedly made their way to the front.

"All rise." The bailiff commanded.

The judge went to his seat, "You may be seated." He said much softer.

"Adoption hearing for Eloise Smith." The bailiff noted.

"Let me just start by saying congratulations on making it this far. I've read the notes Ms. Daye," he nodded to the social worker sitting with a family lawyer, "Has made regarding this case. 'I have never felt more confident in a case than I do recommending Eloise's placement with the Prentiss family'" He quoted from his notes, "That is high praise in our work. Have you filed all the proper paperwork?"

Emily stood, "Yes, Your Honor. We have followed the letter of the law to the last t, including a petition for a name change for her." JJ was always in awe of how poised her wife could be when it really counted.

"May I ask why you've chosen Eloise Rosalyn Prentiss as her new moniker?" He asked, though a soft smile graced his features. "It's a beautiful name."

"My wife's late sister was named Rosalyn, and Ellie didn't have a middle name so we thought it would be a beautiful fit." Emily said, looking to smile at JJ who sat with Ellie in her lap.

"I agree. Eloise?" He said, getting her attention. When she looked up at him, he smiled, "Would you like Jennifer and Emily to be your mommies forever?"

Ellie quirked her head and frowned slightly, "I thought they already were. I call them Momma and Mommy." She said with a sassy attitude.

The room burst into laughter, "Alright. Mrs. Jareau, Mrs. Prentiss, I see no reason to deny your claim, I am going to approve both the name and the adoption. Cases like this are ones we all hope for. I personally thank you for being the kind, loving people you are. Enjoy the addition." He smiled before stamping the documents.

The room burst into hoots and hollers, the judge gave the rowdy bunch of agents a stern look, "Agents, I know this is not the circumstance you usually deal with in a court room, but please, this is still an official proceeding." He scolded, smiling.

"Yes sir." Hotch answered for the group.

The family stood in the front of the room for the picture with the judge, Emily holding Henry, JJ held Ellie, and Lola stood between them. As they made their way back, the stopped before Sarah Daye. "I am so glad for this ending." She smiled. They exchanged final pleasantries before the family and their friends headed out for a celebratory lunch.

March 9th, 2013

Emily and JJ got lucky. It was the Saturday before Ellie's fourth birthday, which is actually March 10th, and the weather was warm, sunny, and cooperating. Emily and JJ chatted with other parents and family and the BAU while fifteen or so kids ran around the yard, moving from one bouncy house to another. As promised, JJ's parents, Sandy and Daniel, came for the week. Ellie was being coddled all day and night by the pair.

Derek Morgan was ignoring all the adults and was pushing the restrictions of the bouncy house as he climbed and played with Eloise. Jack and Henry were playing by themselves, acting 'too cool to play with pre-school kids' as Henry put it. But when the boys saw Uncle Morgan, the strongest guy they knew, bouncing and laughing with the little kids, they lost their resolve and joined in.

Emily was helping Ellie with her presents. Well, mostly she was trying to keep the wrapping paper from littering Graiden's freshly maintained lawn. JJ walked up behind Lola, who watching Ellie's excitement with a smile.

"Hey. I know it's her birthday, but Emily and I have a gift for you too." The blond said softly, so only the teen could hear.

Lola turned and eyed JJ curiously, "What do I get?"

"This." JJ said, handing a folder over to Lola.

JJ watched carefully and the teen opened the paperwork and started to read. Lola's eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around JJ and hugged her tightly. JJ hugged back, running a hand up and down the teens back.

"You're adopting me?" She asked when she pulled back.

"Of course! How could we not?" JJ replied.

Lola hugged JJ again, "I love you." She nearly whispered in JJ's ear.

"We love you too."

April 18th, 2013

This time, the family was on time to the courthouse, and JJ's parents could make it. The proceedings went as they did the last time.

"Lola, would you be happy with this arrangement?" The judge asked.

"Your Honor, being with JJ and Emily in these short few months has been more of a functional family unit than I've had since I was six. They love unconditionally. They would die to protect us, their kids. And they make me feel more valued than gold. Nothing about how I ended up with them was happy, but they have proven to me time and time again that there is nothing they wouldn't do for me. That's love. They've given all I could have asked for and more. That's family." Lola finished. They room was in tears, even Derek Morgan.

"Well, enjoy your family, Lola Harriet Prentiss." He finished before stamping his approval.

Pictures were taken, parties were had.

Emily knocked on Lola's door.

"Come in!" She called.

"Hey, sweets. So, I just need you to fill this out and get it back to me so we can put a rush on it." Emily said, handing a stack of papers over.

"Passport?" She gave Emily a confused look. "Why do I need a passport?"

"Well, during the school year, I run my business from home. But part of the business is always finding new products to import. You have to have variety in this business. That is why, while Henry is with his dad this summer, we're traveling around to find new products. Here's the itinerary." Emily said handing over the last document.

Lola scanned the document before screeching and jumping off her bed with excitement. "France? Spain? Italy?" She ran into Emily's arms. "Oh my god! Thank you!"

"Yes. You'll notice that we have an extra few weeks scheduled in Italy. My family is there, and Jen loved it so much for our honeymoon that we've arranged to pick up Henry and Will to spend two weeks there as a family. My parents will be there too. You'll have so much fun. You can meet my aunt and my cousins. Just wait until you see Papa argue with his little sister like their still kids. It's so funny." Emily almost laughed at the memory.

"I can't wait!" Lola cried.

"Me either. Now, what were you thinking for a birthday party? May 31st will be here before you know it."

"Well, I was thinking about a pool party." Lola threw out.

"That sounds like a great idea. I know you have a crush on Parker's brother, who goes to you sister school. How about we make it co-ed?" Emily asked. When Lola first went to her about the crush, Emily nearly went over to the Andersen house to have a chat with the 16-year-old. But the trust Lola showed in Emily at that moment held her back. After that, they'd had many talks about him. What he was like, how his group of friends and her group would hang out at any of the schools' joint functions. Emily even fumbled her way through a sex talk, one JJ planned to give, that embarrassed both of them. Now she was resolved to the young woman's first love.

"That sounds awesome! Would you be okay with that?" She asked hesitantly.

"Sure! Just as long as you keep in mind, there will not be one single area of this entire estate that won't be under surveillance." Emily reminded.

Lola laughed at the usual protectiveness of Emily. "I know. That sounds fun. Let's do that."

June 1st, 2013

It was the Saturday after Lola's birthday. The Jareau's flew in for the party. Emily and JJ had taken heat from both of their parents for spoiling the children before they could. They felt, as grandparents, it was their right to do the spoiling. So, JJ and Emily had taken the gift they planned to give, the records and vinyl player and the digital photography equipment and dolled them out to their parents to give her. The women went out and bought her clothes and gift cards and wrapped it up with her new passport.

Graiden had worked on the retractable roof to the pool house. It could still get chilly at night, so they still had the pool heated. As promised, JJ and Emily had every possible square inch of the estate monitored. There were men positioned around the property with high powered binoculars to cover the outside grounds and the men of the BAU were conveniently placed. Hotch even had an earpiece in.

"Come on JJ." Morgan reasoned, "Why all this? I know you trust Lola."

She shot him her deadliest glare, "It's not her I don't trust. It's the wolf pack of horny teenaged boys I don't trust."

Morgan raised his hands in surrender. "That's a fair point. I totally see where you're coming from." He said, gulping.

She gave him a sweet smile, "Good. Now I have to go change and call Spencer to check on things." She said, walking away.

Spencer had agreed to watch the three younger BAU kids at the Hotchner house. She even loaned him a reliable car should he need to leave. When she got the all good from him, she changed into her favorite bathing suit. The one that made Emily drool, but was modest enough for this setting. Emily was already in a swimsuit covered in a sun dress. JJ threw on a mesh cover and made her way out to the pool house. Graiden had arranged tables all through out the pool house and lounge chairs lined the pool. By the time JJ got out there, the party was in full swing. Kids were eating, drinking probably way too many sugary drinks, swimming, chatting, or just relaxing while music played through a large speaker mounted away from the water.

Emily was relaxing on a chair, sunglasses framing her face when she spotted JJ. She stood and greeted her wife. "Oh, good! You're here. I need to have a word with Oliver Andersen."

"Emily," the blond warned.

"What?" She whined, "I'm just going to have a chat with him."

JJ let her wife go without another word.

"Oliver, can I talk with you privately?" Emily asked with a suspicious amount of sweetness in her voice.

"Uh, sure, Mrs. Prentiss." He said nervously.

Emily lead him out to the stables. When she secured the door behind him, she looked at him.

"I know you have a crush on my daughter. I know she has one on you too. So, I just want to make one thing crystal clear. She has been through too much to be fucked over and heart broken by some boy. If you do anything, and I mean anything, that I see as unworthy, mark my words you will never be heard from again. I used to be CIA special ops, so I have the connections to end you and leave no trace you ever existed." She leaned closer and whispered dangerously, "Your own family won't even admit you've ever existed. Just because I am domestic now, doesn't mean I'm not capable of unspeakable things. Am I understood?" She leaned back and waited for a response.

She nearly laughed at the way he looked like he was going to piss his pants. He nodded quickly, "Ye-yes ma'am."

"Good," She said before slipping back into her mom mode, "Now go have fun."

Emily watched him go before her earpiece picked up on Morgan and Hotch laughing. The sunglasses she wore had a micro camera and microphone so that they could record this experience for their entertainment later.

"Damn, Princess!" Morgan laughed. "That poor kid almost pissed himself."

Emily laughed, "I know. I can't wait to show that at her wedding as a reminder to whoever she ends up with."

Emily pulled off both devices before setting them on a shelf in the stables. She would come back for them later.

Lola opened all her presents from her friends. Most were clothes and cards and cute things she would like. Penelope went way over board with the clothes, but at least she paid enough attention to what the teen normally wore that Lola liked all the clothes she got. Rossi blew her away with his gift. He got her an autographed soccer ball signed by Fabio Quagliarella, an Italian player. Lola made the Junior Varsity soccer team for her school. So far she was loving every minute and she begged JJ to run drills with her so she could make varsity the next year.

"Oh my god! This is so cool!" Lola hollered before hugging the older Sicilian man. "Thank you!"

Dave laughed and returned the hug, "No problem kiddo."

When Lola went back to finish the other small gifts from everyone, Emily stood next to Dave, "How'd you pull that one off?" She asked in a low tone.

Rossi chuckled, "Fabio's mother is my cousin."

The pair laughed. Rossi was every Italian stereotype rolled into one person, and Emily loved it.

Lola got to the stack of large boxes from her Papa and Grandma Liz. They were all wrapped neatly in the same gold wrapping paper and tied together with ribbon. She opened the first box. It was a regular brown box that she had to pry open. Inside it were stacks of vinyl records. Most of them were vintage, first edition releases of her favorite Jazz music. She gasped but set the box aside to unwrap the second box. It was more vinyls but it was records of her favorite newer artists. She wanted so badly to check out each one, but this gift had one more box left. The last box contained a new record player designed as an old-style radio. It had a turn table, a cd player, a cassette, aux input and radio. She pulled both her grandparents into a hug, thanking them profusely.

The next gift was from the Jareau's. Sandy smiled, "The wrapping is a little less impressive, but the gift isn't." She winked.

Lola slowly pulled out one box from the gift bag. It was a brand new, high resolution Canon digital camera. She nearly started crying but pushed through. She pulled out the other smaller box, a 3-pack of memory cards. There was one box left, it was the biggest, so naturally it was at the bottom of the bag. She worked it out and actually did cry at what it was. It was a set of lenses, expensive lenses, that she could use for a wide variety of shots with her new camera. With school ending next Friday, she would have no reason to keep using the camera for her photography class, so this gift came in at just the right time.

Emily and JJ gave her their more disappointing gift. "I know it's less impressive, but I'm taking you around the world, so put on a good show." Emily winked.

As the party came to an end, Lola was standing with her usual group of friends, when Morgan came up. "Happy 14th birthday, Lolita." He smiled cheekily. The nickname wasn't the best he'd ever had, but it worked. "Hope you had a great day. You might want to apologize to your boyfriend for your moms, though."

She looked confused, "Why? What did they do?"

He laughed, "Just apologize. I'm sure you can figure it out. I saw you eying the surveillance guys. You're a smart girl." He said before walking off.

Aaliyah watched Derek go. Lola smacked her arm. "Don't look at him like that. He's basically my uncle." She pretended to gag.

"Wait, you're only fourteen?" Quinn asked, recalling Derek's comment.

Lola shrugged, "Yeah. My dad had me test out of kindergarten. I thought you knew." She said casually before walking away.

Emily wrapped an arm around Lola's shoulder as she walked up. "Hey, how'd you like your gifts?"

"I love them!" She answered earnestly, "Now I want to see the video."

Emily gulped, knowing JJ overheard that when she whipped around. "What video?" Emily asked nervously.

"Yeah, Lola." JJ warned as she glared at Emily, "What video?"

"I made your surveillance team the minute they got into position. The earpieces, the BAU. I know it was because of the boys, and I know you talked to Ollie alone. So, I want to see the video I know you're saving for a more embarrassing date. Show it." Lola demanded good-naturedly.

Emily pulled the video she had already saved to her iCloud. Emily let JJ and Lola watch; she already knew JJ would give her deep shit for scaring him. When it finished, JJ slowly turned to glare at Emily, who immediately tried to sprint away.

"EMILY ELIZABETH PRENTISS!" JJ screamed as she tackled her wife into the pool, splashing water everywhere, but not damaging anything.

Both women were drenched and laughing and kissing in the pool when Lola decided to give them the room.

Lola sent the video to herself before deleting the message on her mom's phone. She would never admit it, but Emily threatening a boy for her, a girl the woman called her daughter, warmed her heart. She was going to keep this forever.


	21. Chapter 21

Emily was finishing packing Ellie's bags. Emily thought that traveling so much might be hard on the toddler, but she needed to do this for work, and with JJ's schedule, they couldn't let her stay with JJ. Lola would be home from her last day of school. Emily was thankful her mom would be able to pick her up. Elizabeth had told her daughter she was coming on the trip. "It's my family business after all." Her mother pointed out. Elizabeth would stay the night at the estate so they could all go to the airport together the next day. Emily zipped up the last bag for the little girl. Will wouldn't be picking up Henry until Monday, Emily felt bad for leaving him, but he was so excited about New Orleans that it barely registered.

Liz and Lola walked in, laughing about something Emily assumed was about her childhood. Emily spotted the large canvas, "What do you have?" She asked.

Lola smiled, "My final for photography." She stated before she flipped it over for Emily to see.

Emily gasped and gently grabbed it from her daughter's hands. It was a collage of polaroids that told the story of their family. The pictures were some Emily had never seen before. They were all candid. The earliest picture was the one of girl's night decorating Lola's room. Emily let the tears fall as she studied each photograph.

"The topic was 'family.' We had to make a project about our families to tell a meaningful story, in any photography medium meant the most to us. Then we had to explain it to the class. I chose to use the first camera you guys bought me. I told of how my father got me into photography, how you guys saved me, loved me. I got an 'A'." She finished proudly.

"I love it. So much. It's beautiful, Lola. Go finish packing. We'll be nonstop for the next two months so get as much as you can in each bag." Emily instructed. Lola ran up the stairs. Emily wandered the house with the collage. She thought about the wall above the couch in the basement, but that area wasn't used often. She wanted it somewhere she could see it every day. She found a spot in the playroom. That room always had at least one person in it. She smiled as she mounted it over the couch.

Emily and Eloise played for a few hours. She walked into her kitchen and saw her mom cooking. "What's for dinner?"

"Ratatouille." Liz answered.

"You haven't made that since we lived in France." Emily joked. "You must be really excited." Emily started as she pulled herself into a bar stool.

"Oh, Emmy, I am. Last time, we were there for my work. But now, we're there for yours so I get to take the kids and have all the fun." Liz winked.

"Yeah, okay. By all means, tote a teenager and toddler through France and try to find something they'll both like. Why do you think I caved and got Lola the international phone plan? So she can use it to not complain." Emily poured herself some wine.

"Hey! I heard that!" Lola stated as she walked into the kitchen.

"Am I wrong?" Emily challenged.

"No, you're absolutely right. Just say it to my face next time." The teen joked. "What're you making, Grams?"

"Ratatouille." Both brunettes answered.

"Cool." Lola said before popping her headphones back in.

"Emily." JJ said when Emily got up the next morning. "I wish I could go."

"I know baby, but it's work. Then our family vacation. And when you add it up, you are away from me way more than six weeks a year." Emily countered as she got dressed.

"But not consecutively!" The blond whined.

"If you get too lonely, party with the BAU. I'll call whenever I can. No ragers. I love you." Emily leant down to kiss JJ sweetly when JJ wrapped her arms around Emily, trapping her.

"You're not allowed to leave." JJ husked.

Emily just unwrapped JJ's arms and laughed, "I love you. You got enough of me last night. Get some rest. I love you. Enjoy the kid free home. Make sure you let Melissa know when you catch a case so they can get the dogs." Emily kissed JJ one last time before heading out into living room to meet the rest of her travel buddies.

"There you are Emily. We're going to be late." Elizabeth scolded. "The driver got Eloise's car seat into the car and the luggage is in the car. Ready?"

"Hold on," Emily paused, "Do we have everything? Lola, did you get all your chargers? Toothbrush? Hair products? Girl products? Camera?"

"Mom. Stop. I've triple checked the list you gave me. Did you pack everything you need? Or Ellie?" Lola challenged.

Emily let the neuroticism melt away. "You're right. Let's go ladies."

Emily grabbed the bag for the plane ride and the group left. "Wait."

"Emily what?" Elizabeth groaned.

"The stroller! You don't want to have to carry Ellie around Paris, do you?" Emily shot back.

"Well, hurry then."

After Emily jimmied the stroller into the trunk, they finally headed to the airport.

They pulled up to the hangar their jet was housed in.

This was the first time Lola really paid attention to her surroundings. "Wait. What area we doing here? Isn't there supposed to be security and a terminal and all that?" She asked.

Elizabeth scoffed, "Lola, dear. Prentiss's never fly commercial."

The statement didn't click for Lola until they parked near the jet. When she did see it, her eyes bulged out of her head, "A private jet? Oh my god!" Emily watched her fumble for something, anything to take a picture with.

The pilot strapped Ellie's car seat into a chair near the front of the jet. She would only need it for take off and landing. The driver and airport staff loaded the luggage into the storage compartment of the jet. Emily had to admit, embracing her family's money had been so convenient.

Emily smiled at Lola as she walked around the cabin taking it in.

"I'm I an heiress now?" The teen asked.

Emily laughed and looked at her, "Kind of, but you're still expected to go to college and make a life for yourself. I already have trusts set up for all of you that you aren't eligible for until you graduate college."

Lola plopped down on the couch with Emily. "Lame." She joked.

Elizabeth joined everyone in the plane, "We all ready?" she asked.

"I think we're good to take off." Emily remarked. She stood and gave Ellie a sucker. "Here, baby. Sometimes planes can make our ears hurt so suck on this and it'll help. Once we get cruising, I can let you out. Okay?"

"Okay." She said happily before popping the sucker in her mouth and returning to the game on her tablet.

As Emily took her set next to Liz she turned to her mother, "You are welcome to spend as much time with the girls as you want, just remember that a jet-lagged 4-year-old might be more of a challenge than you want to deal with."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "I think I can handle it, Emmy. I dealt with you, remember?"

"I know, it's just we'll be traveling much more in a shorter amount of time than you ever did with me. Just be prepared for later." She warned.

"I understand. So, what's the plan for France?" Elizabeth wondered as the plane started to move.

"We'll land in Paris, spend a week there. I know Lola wanted to see it so most of the days there will be to relax and enjoy it. I only have a few meetings there. One too renew a contract, then two more possible business ventures. Then we'll drive Lyon and be there for three days. I only have one business event planned, but it will take all day. Then drive to Monaco, stay for five days. End in Nice for four." Emily remarked.

"Accommodations?"

"Sorted out. Paris and Monaco are houses I've rented for the time we'll be there. Lyon is a hotel. And Nice is where the family villa is, so I've made arrangements to stay there." Emily pulled up the travel plans on her iPad.

"Looks good." Elizabeth remarked. "What were you planning to do for yourself while we're in France?"

"In Paris I have a few things planned for me and Lola. I can show her around, I spent my later teen years there so I'm sure she'd love to see what I did." Emily laughed, "Paris is just really cool. We can figure out new things to do for the time we have. The rest is business. Oh, but I did arrange a little gift for myself while we hop over to Monaco."

"What's that?"

"I have a friend who now runs a rental service for people to take sports cars through racing attractions. I've asked him to save his fastest car for me." Emily smiled. She's always been a fan of fast cars.

Elizabeth laughed, "You're just like your father."

"I am not!" Emily shot back. "I'm much prettier." She finished with a wink.

The group settled in for the long flight. Emily must have drifted off for a little while because she woke up to Ellie crying. Emily shot up and went to check on her. "Ellie, what's wrong?"

"I want out! You all were sleeping but I want out!" She yelled.

"First of all, do not yell at me." Emily scolded. "Second, I'm sorry I fell asleep. Here." She unclipped the girl and walked with her back to her seat. Emily pulled her into her lap. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Yeah. I want to watch aliens." She said.

"Monsters Vs. Aliens?" Emily clarified.

"Yeah!" Emily pulled out her laptop and played the movie for them to watch together.

Lola woke up and watched the movie with her sister. It was an eight-hour flight and the girls fell asleep with Ellie curled up on Lola's lap. Emily took a picture before she carried Ellie back to her seat for landing. She woke up Lola for her to buckle up.

Emily sat next to her mother, "A car service will take us to the rental. Tomorrow I'll pick up the rental car."

"You're going to try to drive through Paris?" Elizabeth asked.

"Probably not much, but we'll need for the rest of the trip."

"_**You call this three bedrooms? It's barely two!**_" Emily yelled in French at the landlord.

"_**This is what you booked! It's not my fault you misread the unit's information. The website clearly lists that not all of the available apartments have the same layout.**_" The large man shot back.

Emily growled and Elizabeth stepped in front of her daughter. It was late, they were all tired. She needed to play the diplomatic role, "_**Sir, we apologize. Travel is not always easy. We will figure this out. Please inform us if any larger units open up while we're here. Have a nice evening.**_"

The man left and Emily set about the apartment swearing in French. Emily tried to keep all the suitcases from exploding as everyone got ready for bed. Ellie and Lola would share the queen-sized bed in one room, and her and Elizabeth would take the room with two twin beds.

The group fell asleep quickly. Emily hoped the rest of their trip would go smoother than it had tonight. Emily rolled over and found comfort from the cities' lights before she fell asleep.


	22. Chapter 22

Emily woke up to see her mother not in the bed beside her. She got up and padded out of the room. Elizabeth was looking out a window and drinking coffee. She spotted her daughter come in and turned to face her with a smile, "I've always loved Paris."

Emily poured herself coffee, "I know. I've missed it. Even though the last time I was here was not… a positive experience, growing up here was lovely." Emily sat with her mother and watched the city start to wake up. Emily turned when she heard the doorknob click to the girls' room. Lola walked out with a tired frown that looked a lot like JJ's. "Good morning. Did you get some sleep?"

"Not much. Eloise sleeps like a clock. The rolled around all night and somehow ended upside down on the bed." The teen grumbled. "Can I have coffee?"

"I guess. I think you might need it."

Lola took the first sip and groaned, "Ugh. That's so bitter! How do you drink that?"

Emily and Elizabeth laughed, "An acquired taste, I guess. There's no creamer or anything here. You may just have to fight through it."

"Okay. What are we going to do today?" Lola asked, choking down another gulp.

"After Ellie gets up, we'll go get something for breakfast. Then, you guys will go explore while I get the rental car. We'll probably meet up for lunch and see where the day takes us. I have my first meeting tomorrow." Emily answered.

Emily was sending a text to JJ when Ellie woke up. "Alright. Let's get dressed for the day. Lola it will be hot and humid here, dress lightly."

"Got it." The girl said before wandering off.

Emily dressed Eloise in a sundress and put her hair in two pigtail buns on the top of her head. It was the only thing Emily could do but having it up and off the girls back could help with the heat. Lola was wearing shorts that reached her mid-thigh and a halter-top tank. Emily wore shorts and a white blouse. Elizabeth wore a similar outfit with a blue blouse. Emily stopped as she looked over her mother.

"What?" Liz asked, sensing the scrutiny.

"I've just… never seen you so casual." Emily replied.

Elizabeth laughed. "Let's just get going, shall we?"

Emily got Ellie into her stroller as the group made their way out.

At the café, Emily ordered for Ellie and Lola in French.

The waitress watched the interaction, noting the younger girls' English. "Americans?" She asked. Emily laughed lightly and nodded. "Well, your French is perfect." The woman remarked.

"Thank you, I grew up around the world, French was actually one of my first languages." Emily smiled.

"_**Ah. A woman of many talents. My kind of woman.**_" The woman said, switching back to her native language.

Elizabeth nearly spit her water out, before narrowing her eyes at the waitress. Emily simply laughed and brushed the comment off.

Lola watched the interaction. She didn't even need to speak French to guess what the waitress had said. "What did she say?"

"She was flirting with your mother, dear. Apparently, even as a married adult woman, the entire country of France still wants to marry Emily." Elizabeth answered.

"Still?" Lola clarified. "Oh, I need to hear this story."

"It isn't one story." Liz laughed, "It is too many to count. Emily is very beautiful; she could find someone to date in any country. But, for some reason, every time we were in France, she was flirted with anywhere we went. There was always someone trying to court her every time she'd leave the Embassy housing." She finished.

"Mom, it was not that bad!" Emily whined.

"I beg to differ. I watched your father have at least three boys escorted off the property in one night. You were a hot commodity."

Lola laughed, "Boys?"

Emily rolled her eyes, "A few boys didn't have gaydar." The group laughed until breakfast was served. Emily paid as they finished. Once outside, Emily checked her watch. "Okay, I have to go. I'll meet up with you guys. Mom I'll call when I'm done. Take good care of them please?"

"Of course. See you soon." Elizabeth grabbed the stroller from Emily. When her daughter disappeared down the block. "Alright ladies, what should we do first?"

"Well, I want to get some pictures. I promised JJ I would document everything for her. Maybe we can find some scenic stuff?" Lola suggested.

"Or, we can go shopping? I know a spot free from the tourist areas." Liz countered.

"Oooh, yeah let's do that!" The teen answered in excitement.

Liz lead the way through the crowded streets to a large courtyard. It had an elegant fountain spraying in the middle. Lola pulled out her camera and snapped a few shots of the courtyard. Liz led them to a couture shop. At the chime of the shop bell, the owner looked up. Her eye widened before a smile broke onto her face.

"_**Liz? My god how long has it been?**_" She asked before greeting her old friend.

"_**Marie, dear it has been too long. The shop is looking great!**_" Liz answered with a smile.

"_**That is all thanks to you. Who are these lovely girls?**_"

"_**These are my granddaughters Lola,**_" Elizabeth pointed to the teen who smiled before leaning down to tickle Ellie, "_**and this little doll is Eloise.**_"

"_**Ah, Emily had children? How lovely!**_" The woman turned, "_**Come, come. I will give you the VIP treatment!**_"

Liz laughed lightly but followed. Lola looked to her grandmother. "How do you know her Grams?"

Marie interjected, "Oh, Liz saved my shop a few years back. She always came here for her Gala Gowns. When she heard I was struggling to keep the shop afloat, she wouldn't allow anyone in who did get their outfit from me. It was part of her campaign for local businesses that were being pushed out by big companies. She is quite remarkable. I made a fortune that month." She told the ladies in perfect English.

"Wow! Grams, that's wonderful!" Lola was in awe.

"I have many stories. Many Emily was not around to see. Why don't we start with you? Tell Marie what you like aesthetically, and she will design an outfit, and tailor it to you before we leave." Elizabeth gloated.

"Yes! Come Lola. You are first." Marie gestured to the platform in front of a large mirror. "Tell me about your style and we'll begin."

"Okay," The teen answered as she stepped on the platform. "I like to play with lots of colors and different patterns. I like really light clothing; I don't like feeling stuffy. But I also want something true to French culture, so I have a fun story to tell my friends."

"That sounds wonderful! I will be right back." She stopped before she was gone, "What is your shoe size?"

"American women's seven."

"I will wow you. Stay put." She disappeared through a curtain.

"She is… quirky." Lola said to her grandmother.

"Yes. She is, but she is also a dear friend so I couldn't hate it if I tried." Elizabeth said as she sat in a nice chair across the room.

"Grandma Liz!" Ellie said quickly getting her attention.

Elizabeth leant closer to the stroller, "What is it, dear?"

Ellie looked down and whispered, "I have to go potty. Real bad."

"Oh. Oh my. Okay. Come here." Liz answered as she picked the girl from her stroller. Elizabeth was walking quickly to the nearest restroom. Liz barely got her to the bathroom before the toddler wet herself. Thankfully the avoided an accident.

Elizabeth was walking Ellie back to the group. "Eloise, you need to tell me sooner when you first think you have to use the bathroom. Do you understand?" Liz scolded.

"Yes, Grandma. I'm sorry. I didn't want to int'rupt." The toddler tried to say 'interrupt' the best she could.

"I know, but just tell me sooner."

"Okay."

Elizabeth sat back down with Ellie when Lola spoke up. "Usually Emily just profiles her. When she first needs to go, before she ever asks, she bunches up the clothes in front of her hips. It's like a tell." Lola informed.

"Thanks for letting me know." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "It's Eloise's responsibility to tell me when she has to go, not my responsibility to just know. You couldn't have told me her tell sooner?"

Lola shrugged and giggled, "I wasn't paying attention."

"Grandma?" Ellie asked. "Can I play on my tablet?"

"Of course. Your momma said you need to practice your numbers, so you have to do that first." Elizabeth said as she pulled the tablet out of the bag tucked in the stroller.

"Okay, will you help? I'm not good at the numbers."

Elizabeth helped Eloise as Marie came back. "Okay, Lola. I have this fun and flowy floral skirt. I paired it with this rich green blouse. The final touch are these shoes. They're cream lace flats with ribbons that you strap up like ballet slippers. Go try on in that room and come back out. I will adjust anything."

"A lovely choice as always, Marie." Elizabeth noted.

When Marie was finished tailoring, she wrapped the outfit in a beautiful package. She handed it to Lola and walked the group back out to the front.

"It was a pleasure to see you again, Liz. It was even better to meet your lovely family." Marie said as they group set off.

"Thank you for your help, it was absolutely wonderful seeing you again. I'm very pleased to see the shop doing so well still." Elizabeth thanked Marie before the group embarked on the rest of their day.

Emily joined the group for lunch, and they spent the rest of the day exploring. As they were heading back from their late dinner, it was getting dark, and the city was getting ready for bed. The Prentiss' were dead tired as they walked. Emily was talking about something with her mother when Lola stopped suddenly in front of her.

Emily was about to ask her what caused her to stop, but she saw the look of horror as the teen looked down a dark street. Emily followed her gaze and her former training kicked in.

"Mom, take the girl back a few blocks." Emily said, forcing Lola to move.

"Emily what's-" Elizabeth was interrupted.

"Mother! Now! Get them out of here now!" Emily snipped. Elizabeth nodded turning the stroller around and forcing Lola to walk with her. Emily called behind them, "Call emergency services. Say we need police at this location. If they ask what's going say you witnessed an assault." Emily took off down the dark street.

She could hear the three men surrounding the young woman speaking American English. '_tourists_' she thought to herself.

They were surrounding the girl. She tried to fight her way out, but she was no match for three perverted men.

"I think she wants it, huh boys?" One disgusting man said while the other two grabbed and secured the young woman.

She screamed, "_**Hey! Let go of me!**_" The girl cried in French.

"Sorry darling," Another of the vile men answered, "We don't speak French."

So far, Emily hadn't been noticed by any of them, and she fully planned to use that to her advantage. She first took out the man not holding the girl. She grabbed his wrist, twisted it behind his back and swept the man's feet out from under him. As he fell, Emily felt his arm snap in her hand and heard his scream of agony.

This happened so fast that the others in his group didn't even have time to process what was happening. The looked at her dumbly, still holding the crying woman. She grabbed one of each of their hands and forcefully pulled them away from her. She performed the same move on each of them at the same time. With her doing two at once, it was less affective, so their arms were still intact. All the men looked at her with mixed expressions of fear, and seething rage.

"I'm FBI and you assholes just royally fucked yourselves. So, I guess you did get fucked tonight after all." Emily spit at them. "Do not move or I swear to god I'll break your legs like I broke your buddy's arm." She turned to the woman, "_**Are you okay?**_" she asked softly in French.

"_**They were going to rape me!**_" She cried.

Emily stepped towards her and the girl fell into her arms, clinging on for dear life. "_**Shhh. I know. The police are on their way.**_" She turned them so the girl didn't have to look at her assailants and so Emily could keep an eye on them. She was surprised they were all still sitting on the ground, they must have taken her threat seriously. "_**What's your name?**_" Emily asked the girl softly.

"_**Léa.**_" The girl answered softly.

Emily could hear the siren of the police. "_**Hi, Léa. I'm Emily. The police are coming right now. We'll get it sorted out."**_ She held the girl until they police got there.

"_**Miss? What happened here?**_" One officer asked Emily.

"_**I witnessed these three men assaulting this woman. I am a former American FBI agent, so I used my training to take these men down.**_" Emily answered.

The officer turned his attention to the young woman still holding on to Emily. "_**Miss? Can you tell me what happened?**_"

"_**They tried to rape me. Emily came and got them off me. She saved me**_." Léa explained.

Emily stood and told the police in detail how everything went down and gave them her contact information as well as the personal line to Hotch if there were any issues. The police let her go as they loaded the men up in the car and had another called to escort the girl to the station.

Emily made her way back to her family. Lola was staring off into space, so Emily ran a gentle hand down the teens arm. Lola's eye shot up as she found Emily's. She immediately fell into Emily's arms as the sobs overtook her.

"_**Emily.**_" Elizabeth warned in a language Lola didn't speak, "_**What happened?**_"

Emily continued to soothe Lola, "_**Three men tried to rape a young woman. Lola saw it first which is why we stopped. I had to help her. Mom, I had to.**_" Emily finished as her voice broke.

"Let's go get some sleep, yeah?" Elizabeth offered.

The group walked back to their flat, Emily holding Lola the whole way home. Emily helped Ellie get ready for bed. "Mom, why don't you and Ellie share our room tonight?"

"That sounds fine dear." She offered her hand to her granddaughter, "A girls' sleepover is always fun. Right, Eloise?"

"Yeah!"

As they walked into the room, Emily knocked lightly on the door to the other room. "Come in." Lola answered quietly. Emily walked in and crawled into bed with her daughter. "Where's Ellie?" She asked, turned away from Emily.

"She'll sleep with my mother tonight. I thought you could use me more." Emily said softly.

"You're right." Lola hiccupped as a sob escaped. "I could use you more." Lola turned into Emily's waiting arms and let herself breakdown.

Emily stroked her daughter's hair, "Shhh, honey. It's okay. I'm right here." Emily cooed. "Do you want to talk about it?" Lola shook her head into Emily's shoulder. "Okay. That's okay. I'm right here if you need it. I'll be here all night." Emily moved and Lola held on tighter, "I'm just going to turn the light off. I'll be right back."

Emily shot Jennifer a text '**Call me if you can. I think Lola needs you.**'

Lola could talk more about her PTSD with JJ. Emily suspected that it was because Jen already knew every gory detail, so Lola could talk about her feelings without describing the trauma. Whatever it was, Emily was just glad she talked to someone. Emily of all people knew how much keeping it in could kill someone's soul.

Emily had just crawled back into bed when her phone began to ring.

"Hey, baby. I'm here with her. Let me put you on speaker."

Once Emily had the phone on speaker, Lola made her presence known, "Hey mom." She said, her voice sounding so sad, so broken.

"Hey baby. Want to tell me what happened?" JJ asked softly.

Emily noticed Lola hesitate, "I can go if you want to talk to her alone." Emily suggested.

"No!" She almost shouted, she took a deep breath and spoke calmly, "No. Don't, don't leave me alone right now." She whimpered.

Emily settled back in with bed with her daughter and placed the phone on the pillow besides them.

"We were walking home," Lola started, trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice. "I was in the front. I heard a loud noise down a street and looked towards it. This woman she was fighting with three guys. I just- froze. I couldn't look away, even with Emily running into me, even with her dragging me away. I just didn't feel like I was there anymore. I was reliving my own shit."

Emily raised her eyebrows at curse. She'd never heard the teen swear before, but she also knew now wasn't the time to talk about it.

Lola continued, "I didn't know what to do. Thankfully Emily made Liz take me and Ellie away and call the police before she went after them."

Lola was cut off by JJ, "She did what?"

"She went and fought them off the girl." Lola said nonchalantly while Emily whispered 'oh shit' to herself.

"Emily, take me off speaker." JJ demanded.

Emily did just that and put the phone to her ear. "Yes, darling, my sweet wife, the love of my life?" She tried kissing up to avoid their usual 'be safer' argument.

"Cut the shit. You went and fought off three probable rapists by yourself, at night, in the dark, and you expect me not to be upset?" She asked exasperated.

"Baby, I had to. That girl was defenseless. She was trapped. I couldn't let that happen. Come on, Jen, you have to understand why I did. My training just kicked in. I had to protect her." Emily reasoned.

JJ groaned, "Fuck, I hate it when you do the noble thing and I look like the asshole."

"You don't look like the asshole. You were worried. It's okay, I didn't even break a nail." Emily joked.

JJ laughed, "Okay. Put me on speaker again." Emily did, "Okay, Lola. What's going through your head right now?"

"I'm still scared. I still feel like I did when my stepdad would come into my room at night. I feel like I did when I knew what was coming and wished I could die instead of deal with him over me again." Lola choked on a sob as it escaped her lips.

Emily ran a hand down Lola's arm, soothing her and pushing her own nausea away. JJ spoke through the phone again, "What does Dr. Harper say to do when you feel triggered like this?" JJ asked, referencing Lola's therapist.

"She told me to focus on some grounding techniques to clear my head so I can think about the situation more rationally." The teen answered.

"Okay, do you want to do 5-4-3-2-1 with me? That way you can tell me what Paris is like."

"Okay." Lola answered and took a deep breath before laying back into the pillows.

"Okay, give me five things you can see." JJ started.

"The city lights. The clouds rolling in. The Eiffel Tower, just the very tip of it. I can see a cat on a window seal to another building. And our bags piled in the corner of the room." Emily could feel some of the tension from the girl melt away.

"Good. It sounds beautiful. Four things you can hear."

Lola closed her eyes. "I can hear cars moving through the city. I can hear people laughing. I can hear music from the shop down a few buildings. I can hear Emily breathing."

"Emily does breathe pretty loud doesn't she?" JJ joked.

"Hey!" Emily called.

"Okay, three things you can smell." JJ moved on.

"I can smell rain. Emily's perfume, and the sheets smell like detergent."

"Great. At least you know they're clean." JJ said, earning a chuckle from the teen. "two things you can feel." She continued.

"Emily's really warm, and the sheets feel starchy."

"Seems about right." JJ chuckled. JJ loved how Emily was her own personal furnace at night, but when it was already warm, she suffocated from the heat. "Okay, one thing you can taste."

"The cherry popsicle I had before bed. I can still taste it." Lola finished.

"Good job, sweety. How do you feel now?" JJ asked softly.

"Better. I feel more present."

"Good, now try to get some sleep. Do you remember the rule?" The blonde asked.

"Wake up you, well Emily, if I need you in the night." Lola answered studiously.

"Good job. Now you ladies get some rest. I love you both." JJ ordered.

"I love you too."

"Love you baby."

Emily hung up and they settled in for bed. Emily held Lola as they slept, thankfully, they both got a good nights sleep.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Hey y'all, any dialogue in bold and italics is in Italian. This chapter was a wild ride. I didn't even plan for it to be like this, but TBH I think I really like the turn it took! Please R&R!**

The Prentiss's have been on vacation for five weeks. After their three weeks in France, the went to Spain for two weeks. Lola loved Spain the most, she got to try out her Spanish, and even got pointers from some of Emily's associates. The group were currently on an early flight to Italy. They wanted to have time to settle down before the hectic day they had planned tomorrow. Emily had to drive up to northern Italy for business, she planned to borrow one of her dad's very fast cars. She would spend four days there before she came back to her family in the south in time to meet JJ, Will, Henry, and Edward when they arrived. But for now, the group was asleep on the jet.

"Momma! Look!" Ellie called from the car, "Swimming!" she said pointing to the ocean as the drove to the villa.

"I know baby. When Mommy and Henry get here, we can all go swimming." Emily smiled at the girl's happiness.

The rest of the ride was spent just watching the beautiful scenery. When they arrived at the villa, Emily's aunt, Seraphina, and her cousins, Sophia and Gabriella were waiting for them.

Emily got out and ran to Sophia, the women hugging and squealing like little girls. Emily hugged her aunt and other cousin. Emily went back and picked up Ellie, who holding her purple elephant close to her side, and leading Lola to the group. "Zia, Sophia, Gabbie, these are my daughters. Eloise and Lola. Say hi girls."

The girls greeted the new family. Sera scooped Ellie out of Emily's arms. "Oh! Look at the little bambina! Come with Zia. I will make snacks!"

Elizabeth called after her, "She's can't have any sugar, Sera! If she has sweets after a plane ride, she throws up! If she does that, you'll be cleaning it up!" Elizabeth warned.

"Oh, Liz! You worry too much!" The woman called behind her.

"Hey Lola. I'm your Auntie Sophie. Anything you need, you come to me. Come on, let me show you around the place. You're what? 14?" She asked, Lola nodded, rolling a bag behind her as Sophia led the way, "Liquor laws are very flexible here. As long as you're not drunk in public, I think we can get you some wine." Sophia suggested.

"Sophia! You cannot let her drink. You have to wait for Jen to get here, and even then, if she says no, it's a no. Am I clear?" Emily asked sternly as she followed the group closely.

"Crystal. But Emmy, you've got to learn to relax a little." Sophia laughed.

"You have not seen how good a shot my wife is, have you?"

Elizabeth and Gabbie brought up the rear.

"Aunt Liz?" Gabbie asked.

"Yes, dear?" Elizabeth responded, stopping so they could talk.

"I know I'm not Emily's favorite person in the world, I know we've fought almost our entire lives. But I love her, and I want to get to know her. I know I really messed up by not going to her wedding. And I don't know how to fix that. I need advice." The young brunette said shakily.

"Emily can be stubborn, and sometimes cruel. But she only is like that for the people she loves, not to the people she loves. She will do anything for those she loves. I've seen her with the kids, she's kind, compassionate, patient. She is like that with them because she loves them. And I know she was hurt when you didn't come to the wedding, but she was only so hurt because she loves you. Just apologize to her. She can be quite understanding." Liz explained, watching her daughter laugh at something Sophia said.

"Okay, thank you. I will do just that. I don't tell her enough how much she means to me." Gabbie moved to follow the group but Elizabeth gently rested a hand on her arm to stop her.

"Gabriella, if I may, why the sudden interest in making amends?"

Gabbie looked down and played with the cuticles on her fingers, "I've been cruel to her our entire lives, she didn't deserve that. I've felt guilty for a while, but some things in my life has changed, and I'm going to need her support. I can't expect her to show an effort with me if I never show one with her." She said quietly.

"Gabriella Zeta De Luca." Elizabeth warned her niece. Gabbie had always confided in Elizabeth, and with Gabbie and Sophia being her only nieces, Elizabeth always welcomed them. "You tell me what's going on right now. You are starting to scare me."

"Zia Liz, I've gotten myself into trouble. A trouble Emily would know intimately about." A tear slipped out of the younger woman's eye. "I'm pregnant, and I don't know what to do about it. The father was abusive towards me. I never told anyone, and he was the reason I couldn't attend the wedding. He told me I couldn't go, and I wanted to. We had a huge fight and by the end, I was covered in so many bruises I… I couldn't go to the wedding looking like that." Gabbie started to cry in earnest. "When I found out about the baby, I ran. I came home, told Mama everything, but he's been following me. If he finds out about the baby, I don't know what he'll do. I have to get out, and I need her help."

Elizabeth pulled her niece into a tight hug, rubbing circles on her back. "It's okay, Gabbie. We'll get everything sorted out, okay? You shouldn't worry anymore now. Emily has always protected those who need it. I don't think now will be any different. Let's just go in, enjoy ourselves, and then you can talk to Emily later tonight."

"Thank you, Liz." Gabbie replied quietly.

"Of course. I love you."

"I love you too," Gabbie paused, "Mama said she is cooking dinner tonight."

"Oh, your mother sure knows how to cook." Liz laughed as she and her niece walked up to the house.

After dinner Emily got the girls to bed.

"I don't see why we have to share a room. The others aren't coming for another week!" Lola whined.

"Don't whine. It's unbecoming." Emily remarked, reminding herself of her mother. "You guys have to share a room now because you'll have to when the rest come and it's just easier than moving all your stuff around later."

"Ugh." Lola groaned, "Fine."

"What is with all the 'tude all of a sudden?" Emily asked. She wasn't angry, this just wasn't like Lola.

The teen shot up, "Hold on." She said as she rushed out of the room. Emily finished tucking Ellie in the bed she would use. This room had a day bed with a trundle bed. Emily squatted on the floor as she tucked Ellie into the latter.

Emily found Lola out in the hall, "What's up?" Emily asked curiously.

"I started my period. I wasn't tracking it and I didn't pack anything after I used mine in France." Lola looked down.

"Don't worry. I packed extra for you. Just in case something like this happened. Traveling can mess with your cycle and I wanted to stay on the safe side. It's in my toiletry bag. Do what you have to then try to get some sleep." Emily finished as she kissed Lola's forehead. "Goodnight. I love you."

"Goodnight. Love you too."

Emily found the rest of her family gathered around the table, talking in hushed tones that stopped when the group saw her. "Why do I feel like this is bad news?" Emily asked warily as she sat with them.

"Emily," Sera spoke, "We need your help. But I need to let Gabbie explain it."

"Em, it is bad news, and I'm sorry I have not been good family to you. And I'm so sorry I didn't come to your wedding," Gabbie started tearily, "But I hope this will explain some of it."

Gabbie explained what happened to her. Emily sat quietly and felt waves of anger and guilt wash over her. She had been so angry at Gabbie when she didn't show up to the wedding, and now, she felt guilty for feeling angry. "What's his name?" Emily asked in a dangerously low voice.

"Emily, there is nothing we can do but try to keep Gabbie safe." Elizabeth said, trying her best to be the voice of reason.

"No. I don't believe that. There is nothing you can do. But I can do so much more than you think. What's his name?" She asked again, reiterating her point.

Gabbie spoke quietly, "Antonio Mancini."

"What was his last known address?" Emily asked with a dangerous tone.

Gabbie gave her the address they had shared.

"I'll be back later tonight. Mother, watch the girls." She said calmly before standing to leave.

"Emily, what are you going to do?" Elizabeth worried.

"It's best if you retain plausible deniability. All of you. Just know that it won't be illegal. I'll be back by morning." Emily said before heading to her father's garage and borrowing a car.

Emily looked at the time and figured Garcia will still be in the office. The phone was picked up after a few rings.

"Emster, how is vacay?" She asked happily.

"It's hit a snag." Emily replied cooly.

Garcia picked up on the dangerously cold tone of Emily's voice. "What do you need?"

"I need you to find an Antonio Mancini. I have his last know address." She repeated the address, "It was co-leased with Gabriella De Luca. I need his current location and then I need you to spoof my phone to my current location until I tell you otherwise."

"Done and done." Garcia said, "Okay, his current location is at a long-term hotel near you. I'll send the address. Be safe."

"Thanks, and one more thing. Not a word to Jennifer, got it?" Emily asked, she knew it was a tall order for Pen to not spill secrets, but she hoped Pen's loyalty would prevail.

"Fine, on one condition: you let me know when you're done doing whatever it is you aren't technically doing, and then you let me know you're safe. Got it?"

"Deal. I'll call you later." Emily said, not waiting for a response before she hung up and pulled the expensive car out of the driveway.

Emily's next call was to a former associate: Clyde Easter. She got her 'By Any Means Necessary' clearance renewed for twelve hours and the location to a local associate of Clyde's who can stock her up with anything she may need. After picking up supplies, she got ready for her personal mission. She dressed in the all black combat gear she got from Mr. Arturo. When she arrived at the hotel, she found the room he was in through a GPS location from Penelope. She spoofed the key card and quietly made her way into the dark room.

She shut the door behind her and stood at the foot of the bed. She yanked on the man's foot, waking him with a start.

"_**What the fuck? What is going on?**_" He questioned angrily in Italian.

"_**I have a gun leveled at your crotch, so be very careful with your movements. Now. I'm going to bind your hands, and you are going to quietly walk out to my car with me. Is that understood?**_" Emily asked venomously.

"_**You crazy bitch, why would I ever go with you. I could scream for help right now!**_" He opened his mouth to scream, but Emily was on him lightning fast, she used her forearm to crush his throat, resting the barrel of the gun between his eyes.

"_**You are going to come with me right now because if you don't follow my instructions down to the last detail, I am going to make sure you've never existed. Your own family won't even admit to knowing you. If you come, you'll be given the chance to be set free. So, are you going to listen, or do I get to enjoy strangling the life out of you?**_"

The man just nodded. Emily bound his hands with zip-ties before hoisting him up out of bed, grateful he slept in clothing. She led him to her car and shoved him in the trunk, "_**Do not make a noise. Do not signal for help. And most importantly: do **__**not**__** fuck up my car.**_" She instructed before slamming the trunk.

She drove to the marina. She walked him to the boat she'd been given the keys to by Mr. Arturo and helped him on board. She secured him to a chair in the cabin before setting off into the night.

She anchored the boat after an hour. She had gotten him well out of range for help. She went back down to the cabin and flicked on the light, blinding the man.

"_**What the fuck do you want from me?**_" Antonio asked harshly, panic rising out of his voice as he tried to mask it with anger.

"_**I am going to be perfectly candid. My cousin is Gabriella De Luca. And you hurt her. You like to prey on weaker women? Why is that? Is it because you're too much of a pussy to fight a man your own size? Or is simply because little Antonio doesn't work without violence?**_" She asked, flicking her eyes down to his crotch. He lunged towards her, fighting the restraint. Emily didn't even flinch. No, instead, she laughed, "_**Ooooh, still trying to be the big tough man? News flash Antonio. If you don't agree to my terms, you'll be swimming with the sharks. Well, not exactly swimming, more like, dining with the sharks. I've heard its tiger shark season. And they will eat **__**anything**__**. Even scum like you.**_"

The man sagged back into his restraints, "_**What do you want?**_" he asked, not looking back at Emily.

"_**You are going to go back to whatever shithole you came from. Then you will leave my cousin alone. You will forget about her. You'll never try to see her, talk to her, or even think about her. If you ever accidentally run into her, you will walk away. From this point on, you don't exist to her. If I find out you broke any of our terms, I will find you, just like I found you tonight, and then I will kill you. You will also be on a two-year probationary period. You will not do **__**anything**__** with out me knowing. You can agree to these terms, or I can get the pleasure of killing a low life. I've done it before, and they meant much less to me. But you? The man who hurt my cousin? I will enjoy it, and I will show no mercy. It will be slow, and painful, and you will be begging for death by the time I finish. Have I made myself clear?**_"

"_**Yes.**_" He whispered.

Emily fisted her hand in his hair and pulled back roughly so he was looking at her, "_**What was that? I don't think I heard you.**_"

"_**Yes!**_" He shouted, "_**Yes! Yes! I agree. Your family will never hear from me again! On my mother's grave!**_"

Emily let go of his hair, pushing his head forward as he did so. "_**Good. I think we've settled this little misunderstanding; don't you think?**_" She turned to head back but stopped, "_**Oh and one more thing Antonio. If you go to the police, it won't matter. I've been given clearance to do this with a much higher authority than the lazy beach cops you have here. It'll really save a lot of time and energy if you keep your mouth shut.**_" Not waiting for confirmation, Emily left and brought the boat back to shore. Emily brought Antonio back out to the dock and snipped the zip-ties. "_**You can walk from here.**_" Emily said before getting back in her car and heading to the villa.

She texted Penelope when she parked in the garage. '**I'm safe. The situation is resolved. Thanks PG. Love you.**'

The reply came quickly from Pen, '**Always sugar.**'

Emily walked back to the kitchen, it had taken her a total of four hours, so she was shocked to see her mother, Sophia, and her aunt still up. "What are you guys doing up?" She asked casually.

"We were worried sick, Emily!" Her aunt scolded. "What did you do?"

"I already said I can't tell you that. But let's just say, I had a conversation with him, he was very understanding, and he won't be a problem to this family anymore." Emily said cooly, pouring herself a glass of wine. "That being said, I think that Gabbie shouldn't go anywhere unaccompanied, and I think she should move to America. Stay close to us, and away from him."

"That's something you need to take up with her, dear." Sera said, knowing Gabbie could be as head strong as Emily.

"Don't worry. I will." Emily downed the rest of her wine. "Well, I'm going to bed, I have an early morning tomorrow." She kissed each woman on the cheek, "Love you guys."

She heard a chorus of goodnights. That night, while Emily wasn't proud of her own cruelty, she slept soundly knowing she helped her cousin, and her baby.

**A/N: Okay, so you guys may not want to think Emily could do something like this, but there was a scene in season 5, episode 10 'The Slave of Duty' where after she takes down the UNSUB, she is like super terrifying and cruel, and I used that as motivation for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed!**


	24. Chapter 24

Emily's work went well. She drove back because the jet had to pick up the rest of her family. JJ had been really good about giving Emily travel updates. She said Will was really enjoying the luxury of the jet as opposed to how he usually flew coach. Emily was meeting her the rest of her family at the airport so they could wait for the jet's arrival. She greeted everyone, even her Uncle Paolo was there. He worked around the world like Emily. He ran a Public Relations business that had many high-profile clients around the world.

Emily hugged him, "Thank you, Emily. For protecting my Gabriella. I don't know what you did, but whatever it was had him fleeing the country as soon as possible." The older man told her.

"So I've heard. I've had eyes on him since I found out. All for family, right?" She winked at him as she saw the jet taxi towards them.

"Absolutely." He answered.

Emily was holding Ellie as the waited impatiently to see their family again. JJ was the first off the jet with Henry close behind her. Emily rushed to her wife and set Ellie down by her brother. Emily barely registered how Eloise clung to the boy, and how he hugged her back. Emily was too busy pushing her body against her wife's. She was alternating deep, passionate kisses with sweet pecks. "I missed you." Emily whispered breathlessly against her wife's lips.

"Me too." JJ replied before pressing their lips together once more.

"Emily." Her mother warned. "Tone it down on the airstrip please."

Emily stepped away and picked up Henry. Tickling him as she kissed his cheek.

"Let's get this vacay started!" Emily called, setting Henry down. "Don't worry about your bags. Someone will bring them to the house."

Emily interlaced her fingers with her wife's. At the last minute, Emily veered them away from the cars the rest of the group would be taking.

"Where are we going?" JJ asked.

"We're driving separately." Emily answered plainly.

The brunette opened the passenger door for the blond and shut it gently behind her. Emily closed the door behind her when JJ looked at her and raised an eyebrow at her, "Yeah, I got that. Why?"

Emily pulled the fast car off the airstrip, "Because I can't wait until everyone else goes to bed, so I am going to fuck you in the car."

That wiped the smirk off the blonde's face. JJ felt her pulse speed up. Emily pulled into a vacant hangar and parked the car behind the wall, out of sight.

"Get on top of me." The brunette ordered.

When JJ straddled Emily, Emily tangled her hand in thick blond hair at the base of Jen's neck before smashing their lips together. This was not the time for sweetness. It was time for a hot, dirty release after six weeks of distance between them. Now, their kiss was all teeth and tongue. Each woman desperately fighting for me. Emily brought her hands up under JJ's shirt, pulling the cups down for easy access to her wife's nipples. Emily was not gentle. She pinched and flicked and rolled the buds between her fingertips. JJ gasped and arched against her wife's hands, her lips tearing away as she groaned. Emily attached her lips to the younger woman's neck, nipping, sucking, licking.

"Emily. Em. Fucking touch me. Shit." JJ husked.

Emily moved her hands down to unbutton JJ's tight jeans, "Take your shirt off." The brunette ordered. Emily pulled the denim down JJ's legs as far as she could, her mouth latching onto a nipple as soon as it was exposed. The blond moaned above her.

Emily wasted no time slipping her long fingers into her wife. JJ bucked against her hand, "Fuck, Emmy." She moaned out.

"Ride me, baby." Emily demanded as she returned her mouth to JJ's neglected bud.

JJ began gyrating her hips that got Emily's hand to hit just the right spots. The blonde's breath hitched in her throat before a low moan escaped her. JJ fought to keep her hands steady as she worked open Emily's pants. With the way Emily was sitting, the blond didn't have much room to work. JJ gathered as much wetness from her wife before her middle and ring finger settled with running tight circles over her wife's throbbing clit.

Emily's hips buck forward, causing her fingers to slip deeper into her wife, "Fuck, Jayje, don't fucking stop. I've wanted this for too long. Make me cum, baby." Emily husked.

Emily and JJ continued to work each other until Emily felt the coil inside her tighten. Before it could burst, she crooked her fingers inside her wife. JJ came then, pulsing around Emily's fingers. The visual stimuli, mixed with the blonde's pulsing and the way her hand still worked, sent Emily into her own orgasm.

JJ slumped against her wife, laughing lightly. "I missed you." She said, pressing a kiss to Emily's neck.

"Me too. But we have to get back. The longer we're away, the more shit we'll get." Emily laughed.

Emily rebuttoned her pants quickly and handed JJ's shirt back to her before pulling away towards the villa.

As soon as they walked in, they were met by a familial chaos. Emily laughed at her dad and her aunt already arguing. From the parts she heard, it was about how Edward didn't visit enough.

Emily and JJ sat by Sophia on the couch. Sophia turned to her and raised an eyebrow at her cousin. "_**What took you so long?**_" She asked, knowing damn well the real reason they took forever. She could already see the hickey forming on JJ's neck. She wanted to hear the excuse though.

"_**We took the scenic route.**_" Emily answered plainly.

Sophia laughed, "_**Bullshit. You fucked her in the car. Didn't you?**_" Sophia asked bluntly.

Emily couldn't help the blush that crept up her face. Her uncle Paolo interrupted his daughter, "_**Sophia. Leave your cousin alone. What she does alone with her wife is none of our business.**_" He scolded lightly.

"_**Thank you, Uncle Paolo.**_" Emily said sweetly, glaring at Sophia.

"_**Oh, come on Papa. She has that freshly fucked look!**_" Paolo spit the scotch he was sipping out as he choked, his own embarrassment showing.

Edward stopped his own argument and glared at his daughter, "_**Really? In my car, Emily?!**_" he asked incredulously. Now, JJ didn't speak Italian, but based on the mortified look on her wife's face, she could guess what it was about.

Elizabeth spoke up, "_**Will you all cut it out? No one besides **__**maybe**__** Sophia wants to hear about it. And no one **__**should **__**hear about it **__**including**__** Sophia. And watch your language! There are children around!**_" Elizabeth scolded, ending the arguing.

Sophia laughed, "_**Yeah! Children who don't speak Italian!**_"

Emily and JJ laughed as the group continued to argue. The only people not involved were those not in the room. Emily went to the other room and joined Gabbie, Will, and the kids.

Will looked at Emily and smiled at her, "I really appreciate you inviting me on this trip. It's been wonderful so far."

"Oh, of course Will! I wouldn't feel right bringing Henry here without you. You get to see him a lot less than us. It was my pleasure to have you here." Emily replied.

"It's really nice for me," He started, "I haven't been around a big family gathering for a long time. It's refreshing." Will smiled as he heard the arguing get louder. "Though, my family was never that loud."

Emily laughed, "It's the Italian. My mother's family is French and any of their family gatherings were spent in near silence."

Emily and Will chatted before dinner was ready. The family ate and laughed together. Everyone got to bed early. Will and Henry shared a room, Lola and Ellie had theirs, JJ and Em, and Emily's parents ended up in the master bedroom. The De Luca's went to their own home after dinner. As Emily cuddled with her wife, life was good.

Over the next two weeks, there was a lot of fun, and some business that was dealt with. Sophia and Gabriella would be moving to the US. They would fly over with the Prentiss's. Paolo was planning to set up a branch of his business in the US, and with his daughters moving there, it only seemed right for them to head it up. Until they could get settled, they would stay with Emily's parents. Their house had four bedrooms, so there would still be extra room. When they landed back in Alexandria, the family parted ways and said their goodnights. Will wanted an earlier flight home so he could get back to New Orleans time, so he was going to stay at the hotel at the airport. Emily and JJ got their bags in the car, leaving the boys to say farewell. As soon as they all hit their beds, the house was quiet with sleep.

The kids only had two weeks before school started up again. Those two weeks were spent adjusting to the correct time-zone, school shopping, and Lola working on her first project. She knew early on she would be in the next level photography class; their first project was to detail their summer vacation. Lola was proud of her finished product.

The first day of school rolled around. Emily, as usual, was the first to wake up. She got JJ and herself their morning coffee before getting ready for her day. She fought with Lola to wake up, then got the littler kids ready. The girls were done with just enough time for JJ to get their hair done for school. Emily had been practicing with them all summer to get their hair done. She had gotten better at easier styles, simple braids, fishtails, neat ponytails or buns, but the more complex stuff, which was what they usually liked, Emily was still useless.

Emily ran around the house trying to get all the kids' stuff together and make sure they stayed on track with breakfast. She popped her head into the dining room, "Lola, JJ is taking you to school today, but after that either Gabbie or Sophia will."

"I know, mom." She responded, eating her toast.

Emily kissed her forehead, "Okay, let's all get shoes on." She said shooing Henry to the front room and letting Ellie out of the booster.

"Can I wear sandals, Momma?" Ellie asked.

"Sure sweety, it's still warm enough. Pick which ones you want." She turned her head to Henry, "What do you want to wear?" She asked. He turned and grabbed a plain pair of sneakers. She got them both in shoes and handed them their respective bags. Emily stopped by the stairs, "Jennifer!" She hollered, "Hurry up or Lola will be late!"

"I'm almost ready! Don't leave yet! We need pictures!" JJ shouted back. JJ came downstairs with Lola's camera. "I'm borrowing this." She said simply to the teen, who simply shrugged. They got the pictures they needed, and both sped off.

When Emily got home, she plopped back on the couch and sighed heavily. She forgot how hectic mornings were. She was going to have to figure out a better system for the mornings and afternoons. She settled further into the couch and closed her eyes, hoping for a few moments of peace.

**A/N: Hey, y'all! This one was shorter but moved fast. Hope you enjoyed.**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Y'all, I know the adoption system does not work fast, some people wait years. But I think that's a fucked-up system. Anyway, I know it's not realistic but this a work of fiction. So you know what? In my fiction, good people get happy endings.**

Emily was woken up from her nap on the couch by Graiden. "Em," He shook her shoulder. "Emily, you have a phone call." He said soothingly.

Emily slowly sat up and grabbed the house phone from him. "Hello?"

"Hey, Emily. It's Sarah Daye."

"Oh, hey. Is everything okay?" Emily asked, worried about her daughters' placement.

"Yes, I just have a case I think would fit in with your family." Sarah said, her smile was almost audible to Emily.

"Okay, what do you have?" Emily asked, sitting forward and rubbing her face.

"A 37-day old male. Safe Haven surrender. No one claimed him after the mandatory 30 day wait period. He's up for adoption."

"How has he not been placed yet?"

"When he was brought in, it was apparent he was born at home. He developed a pretty nasty umbilical cord infection. He's doing really well now, and we need to find a family for him as he's getting ready for discharge." Sarah explained.

"Okay, can I call Jen and get back to you?" Emily asked hesitantly. Her life was already hectic enough. She couldn't imagine the stress an infant would add to their life.

"Of course. Give me a call and I can tell you what hospital he's at." The way Sarah phrased it told Emily that Sarah knew Emily and JJ wouldn't say no. Emily knew her assessment was probably right.

Emily picked up her cell and called her wife. JJ picked up quickly, "Hey, baby. What's up?"

"Sarah Daye called. She has a 37-day old baby boy she wants to place with us. How does your day look?" Emily asked.

"Em? A baby?" JJ hesitated for the same reason Emily did. She finally sighed, "I am about to go on lunch, can you call her back and ask if we can meet him first?"

"Yeah. I will. I'll text you the details." Emily said before hanging up.

"Hey, Sarah." Emily began when Sarah picked up, "We were wondering if we could come by and meet him first? Before we make any decisions?"

"Of course!" Sarah said before telling Emily the hospital he was at. "He's in the NICU still, but he's doing well."

After Emily got off the phone with the social worker, she texted JJ where to meet her before she climbed in her car. Emily and JJ pulled into the hospital parking lot at the same time, so they met up before they walked in. Sarah met them outside the hospital before leading them up to the Pediatric floor.

"Okay, here is baby boy doe." Sarah introduced as she stopped next to a hospital crib.

"He doesn't have a name?" Em asked.

"Not yet." Sarah replied as she put a finger in his hand, which he immediately tightened his grasp around.

"He's so small. Henry was never this tiny." JJ remarked as she looked at his pale skin.

"When he came in, he was at least two days old. He was severely underweight, and he tested positive for THC. That explains his size. By now, he's gone through the roughest part as the chemical made its way out of his system. He's back on track with how he should be growing. He is tiny, but he's putting weight on at a healthy rate."

"Can I hold him?" Emily asked.

"Of course!"

Emily picked him up and held him close to her as she sat down in a chair nearby. She rubbed a finger down his cheek and twirled a lock of his dark, curly hair. Emily watched as his eyes fluttered open to reveal his soft grey irises as he stared at her. His brow furrowed but he didn't cry. Emily giggled as he stretched out all four of his limbs before bringing them back to his body and closing his eyes again. JJ watched the wonder flow into her wife's eyes as she kissed his forehead.

JJ's heart melted and all hesitation melted away from her. She had always wanted a big family, whatever challenge the boy posed, they could handle it. "I'll call Hotch." JJ said to Emily, who only nodded, not tearing her eyes away from the little bundle in her arms. She looked at Sarah, "When will he be ready to go home?"

"The doctor said he should be discharged tomorrow or the next day."

JJ nodded, "Okay. I'll be right back." JJ pressed a kiss to Emily's forehead before heading out. JJ called Hotch, "I need the rest of the day. Maybe tomorrow." She told him before he agreed. Then she called Garcia. "Hey Pen. Yes, we're taking him home in the next few days. We need reinforcements to get ready for him. Yep, get the boys and Tara. See if you can all sneak away early tonight. We'll group at my house. Okay, bye Pen. See you then."

JJ hung up before sitting with her wife in the nursery.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked.

"Perfect. We'll meet up with the BAU family at our house tonight." JJ sat running a hand through the boy's hair.

"Do you want to hold him?" Emily asked, her brown eyes boring into JJ's.

The blond opened her arms, "Yes, absolutely." JJ held the baby as she leaned back, and her body seemed to rock slightly of its own accord. "We need to think of a name for him."

"Okay, what about James?" Emily offered.

"I don't think Pen would be anywhere okay with that name."

Emily thought back to Jason Clarke Battle, A.K.A James Colby Bailor, "Right. Any ideas?"

JJ studied the baby for a few minutes, "I think he looks like a Benjamin."

Emily looked closer at the boy, "I think you're right. He does look like a Benjamin. While he's little we can call him Benny," JJ smiled at the nickname, "And when he's older, just Ben if he still wants a nickname."

JJ smiled, "Absolutely. Middle name? I think since Ellie got Rosalyn; his middle name should be someone close to you. Edward, maybe?"

Emily thought on it. Then a goofy smile spread across her face. "What about Morgan? Benjamin Morgan Prentiss."

JJ laughed, "You know, I think that is actually a wonderful name!"

"Well now that naming the baby is handled, I think we should take a couple pictures to show the kids this afternoon." Emily suggested.

After they picked up the kids from school, the women sat their kids down at the table. "Okay guys," Emily began. "We're going to have a new family member soon. Do you want to see a picture?"

The kids all looked a bit confused at the vague description but agreed. Emily pulled out the few pictures of their new brother.

"This," JJ started, "is your brother, Benjamin. He'll be coming home soon so we may need extra help with you guys. Do you think you're up for the challenge?"

"So, I finally get a brother?" Henry asked.

"Yep." Emily smiled.

"Yes! I have too many sisters!" He exclaimed.

The women laughed. "Me too!" Ellie agreed with Henry, as she usually did.

"He's cute." Lola added, "I love him already."

By 4:30, the whole BAU was gathered in the living room. "Okay," JJ started standing in front of her friends and family, "Spencer, you will stay here with Ellie and Henry." The blond man nodded, "Pen, Emily, you'll go to the mall and get clothes. Morgan, Lola, you'll tag along and reign them in." Pen looked offended at the implication, but Emily just shrugged and nodded. "Dave, Hotch, Tara, you'll be with me. We're getting furniture and baby essentials. We'll regroup here. We have to hurry before the stores close and we will have to get the room ready tonight as we won't know when he'll be discharged. Okay, let's go."

Emily's group wandered through baby stores. They bounced from one to another getting clothes of many sizes for now and as he grows, and plenty of socks and mittens. Morgan and Lola did reign them in, but they also realized they needed a lot for him. They finished by getting blankets, various burp rags and bibs, decorations and stuffed animals or other baby toys.

JJ's group finished later than Emily's. The had to go to the furniture store before they got to the baby store for everything else. JJ got a crib, a glider and foot stool, a changing table, a hamper, a baby swing with two directions and the seat came off into a bouncer. They got a bassinet so he could stay in their rooms for the first few months and a highchair for later. She also grabbed a wrap to hold the baby to her chest, a bath for him, and a play gym so he could start tummy time. The last thing she got was a car seat that was compatible with the stroller she had from Henry, and two car bases for it. She also knew the stroller had a hook for an attachment for another young child to stand on, so she grabbed the attachment. The next store they hit was quicker, she got diapers, wipes, baby soap and oil, pacifiers, bottles and formula. She got the most expensive one that helped prevent digestive issues.

The group met back at the house. Everyone had driven separately to the stores for more storage for the items. They took a while unloading everything. They had to move Ellie one room down so the nursery was closest to Emily and JJ's room. Then they had to take the furniture from the other room and put it into storage. With everyone helping, they got Ellie's room remade in time for the kids to go to bed. Lola stayed up and helped Penelope and Tara put away clothes and organize the closet and dresser they left in from the other furniture set. The rest of the group-built furniture and organized the room. By the time the room was done it was near midnight.

JJ leaned against Emily, "Thank you guys for all your help. We will pay you back handsomely. We just have to figure out how. I'll see you guys later this week."

The rest of the team made their way home and JJ and Emily fell asleep quickly.

With JJ staying home, Emily let her wife sleep while she got the kids to school. Emily came home and woke JJ so they could get ready to see Benjamin at the hospital. They met Sarah in the nursery.

"Good morning, ladies." Sarah chirped. "I've got the birth certificate filled out with his name. This process will be a little different, once you get him home, he's practically yours. You already have a court date set for two months from now. All we need is some signatures and the doctor said he is good to go once the paperwork is done."

"Okay," JJ nodded, "Let's get started."

Sarah took them to a nearby conference room for them to get to work. When all was done, Sarah looked to the women, "Do you have everything you need?"

Emily smiled, "Yep. Car seat is installed, we have a bag for him downstairs for when he's ready. House is fully stocked with anything he may need. We're ready."

"Great. I'll get his discharge papers while you get his stuff. Meet you back in the nursery?" Sarah asked. While they worked through the papers, she had explained that she would accompany them home to make sure they had everything in order.

"Sounds good." Emily replied before she and JJ headed back to the car.

They brought the car seat up to the nursery with the diaper bag resting in it. Emily dressed him in an outfit that said 'Baby Brother' on it before they took some pictures and strapped him in, making sure all the straps were adjusted correctly.

"Let's go home." JJ said, smiling, before she kissed Emily sweetly.

As soon as the car started to move, Benjamin woke up and started to cry. The longer they moved, the louder and shriller her got.

Emily started to become visibly worried. JJ rested a hand on her shoulder as the brunette drove. "Don't worry, baby. He's just not used to the car. He'll get used to it." JJ unbuckled and crawled over the center console, sitting by the infant. JJ soothed him quietly as he calmed down, "Good boy." She cooed.

JJ and Emily had both gotten new cars when they returned from Italy. JJ got a Volvo XC90 and Emily got an Audi Q7, both were luxury SUV's with seven seats. Now they had plenty of room for the whole family.

Soon, the family returned home. Emily pulled into the garage and turned the car off. JJ released the car seat and handed it to Emily, who had gone to the side and opened the door for her wife. JJ grabbed the diaper bag before getting out. Emily grabbed JJ's hand and they walked in together. They quietly made their way through the kitchen and to the living room. When they got there, a banner was hanging that said, 'Welcome Home!' With the banner was the BAU team, Emily's parents, JJ's parents, Sophia and Gabbie, and the kids.

Emily laughed lightly and turned the car seat around so they could see inside at the bundle. "Guys, we'd like you to meet Benjamin Morgan Prentiss," Emily introduced, emphasizing his middle name, "The newest member of our family."

Derek looked like his breath was taken away. He stepped closer to the family, "You named him after me?"

"Yep! Want to hold him?" JJ asked.

"Yes." Morgan said as JJ moved to grab the car seat from Emily before setting it down and extracting the baby and handing him to Morgan. "Hey little man." Derek cooed, slowly swaying, "I'm your Uncle D. I'll do anything for you. Just ask."

While Derek had his moment, Emily glared at her mother, "Why are my kids out of school?"

Elizabeth simply stared back, unmoved. "Who said I did this?"

Emily rolled her eyes, "Because besides me and Jen, you're the only who can pull them out of class."

Elizabeth visibly deflated, "Okay, listen. They should be here. It's for their brother! They got all their work."

JJ laughed, placing a hand on her wife's shoulder, "You're right. Thank you." JJ turned her attention to her own parents, "How did you guys get down here so fast?"

Sandy shrugged, "Oh, Elizabeth helped. She said we should be here to welcome him. Daniel and I left as soon as we found out."

Emily looked at the team, who gathered around Morgan, watching as the baby squirmed, "How did you guys all come? It's the middle of the day."

Hotch looked up and a dimple showed as he tried to suppress a smirk, "According to Strauss, we're having an offsite team building exercise."

The group laughed and the quiet party got going. There were plenty of snacks and love. By dinner time, the only people left were Sophia and Gabbie.

Gabbie looked to Emily, "Why don't I cook? You and Jen can relax some."

Emily quickly handed Benny to JJ. "Why don't I help you?" Emily followed Gabbie into the kitchen, "Gabbie what's going on?" She asked to her cousin's back.

Gabbie leant over the counter, bracing her hands on the edge. "What did you do to him?"

Emily gulped, needing no further explanation. "Gabbie, I already told you. I can't te-"

Gabbie cut off Emily, "You can't tell me. I know. That's all you've said, but Emily. He has tormented me for years and then all of a sudden, he's not. He's vanished. Emily, I really did love him, and I wouldn't wish him to be hurt or…" Gabbie trailed off, taking a deep breath, "Or even dead. Emily, I have to know. It's killing me."

Emily sighed, she understood the reasoning, "I'll tell you, but you might not like it." Emily began after pouring herself a glass of wine. She twirled the glass as she told her cousin what happened, "I had a contact from my Interpol days who owed me a favor. He gave me clearance to do whatever I needed. I had a friend track him down and I broke into his hotel room. I tied him up and took him out onto a boat the contact let me use. I threatened him, I hurt him." Emily saw the look of horror on Gabbie's face. "I didn't kill him, I just needed him scared enough to know I would follow through with every threat I made if he didn't agree to leave you alone forever. Gabbie, I had to. I have spent my life protecting those who need it. If I couldn't protect my family, then I would have lived my life, gone through so much shit, for nothing. If that was the truth, I couldn't live with myself."

Emily was so determined to explain herself; she didn't notice JJ come in carrying Benjamin as he fussed.

"I cannot fucking believe you!" JJ growled from behind Emily, who turned around, wide-eyed.

"JJ! Hold on, let me explain!" Emily pleaded.

"Gabbie, take the baby." JJ said, deceptively calm. Gabbie did so and left the room. "Emily, I don't need you to explain. You fucking went on this solo mission. You kidnapped a dangerous man, you thought about killing him in cold blood." Emily stepped forward and tried to gently touch her wife. JJ brushed her off, "No. Don't touch me! I don't even know you Emily. We promised no more secrets! This is beyond that. This is lying. You lied to me! You got Penelope to lie to me! Fuck, I can't fucking deal with this right now. I need a minute."

Emily just stood quietly as JJ rushed off. Emily heard their bedroom door slam. "Fuck!" Emily yelled, grabbing her now empty wine glass before smashing it into the kitchen tile. Emily took a minute to compose herself before she cleaned the glass shards. Emily was still trying to get her breathing back to normal when Sophia came into the kitchen. Emily watched her step around the glass before she wrapped her arms around her cousin. At first Emily struggled against the comfort, then as she relaxed into it, she cried onto Sophia's shoulder. "I fucked up, Sophie. I have never seen her so angry. I can't lose her over this."

Sophia stroked a hand down Emily's hair, "I know, Emmy. It's okay. You just need to let her be angry. Then you need to apologize. Explain to her exactly what you said to Gabbie. She was there to hear it, but by then she had heard too much and didn't want to listen to why. She only wanted to listen to the parts that supported her anger." Sophia was wise, and Emily held onto her for a moment longer.

When Emily pulled back, she had to pull herself together. She quickly made a bottle. She recognized the whimper of Ben from earlier was because he was hungry. She handed it to Sophia, asking her to take it to Gabbie. Then she set about making dinner. When that was done, she put Benjamin in his swing and watched his eyes get heavy. She got the kids to eat with her cousins as she made two plates and headed up to the bedroom.

She set a plate down on the hall table that displayed family pictures before she knocked on the door. "Jen, it's me. I brought us some dinner. I thought we could talk some."

Emily watched the door open a crack, her signal to come in. She picked up the extra plate and carried it in. She sat on the bed looking at Jennifer. Emily handed her wife the plate. The ate in silence for a few minutes before JJ sat her fork down, "How could you?" She asked, her voice dripping with vulnerability.

"Jennifer, he beat Gabbie. She was pregnant, scared, and she did the best she knew she could. She got out and tried to restart with her family. He stalked her, followed her, threatened her. You heard what I said to Gabbie. I used to only live for work, but now I have so much more to live for. Love. If I couldn't protect the ones I love, I might as well eat my gun. That's not something I can do, so I did what I could. I protected her to best of my ability. I was never going to kill him. He profiles as a narcissist who wouldn't accept anyone could not love him. He was always too in love with himself to risk going against what I said. I put my faith in the profile, as I have always done. Yes, I fucked up by keeping that from you. I didn't want you to think of me as the monster I was in that moment. I was afraid that if I told you, you'd look at me how you are now." Emily finished, her voice breaking.

"How's that?" JJ challenged.

Emily looked away, a tear slipping out, "Like I'm no better than the unsubs you hunt. The kind I used to hunt."

JJ scooted closer to Emily. The blond wrapped her arms around her wife, "I could never think of you like that. You protected your family, I get that. I just wanted you to tell me. No more secrets, that's how we lost each other in the first place, Emily. I can't lose you like that again."

Emily looked up, cupping JJ's chin with her hand, "I'm not going anywhere."

"I love you. But if you ever do that again, I will personally see to your destruction." JJ joked.

Emily laughed, "Understood." The pair shared a sweet kiss. "Should we finish dinner with our kids?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice." JJ pecked Emily's lip once more before standing. The couple joined hands as the went down to eat with their family.


	26. Chapter 26

"Ellie! Come back!" Emily hollered as a naked toddler took off down the hall. Emily emerged from the bathroom, covered in most of the bath water. JJ was trying to get Ben down when the yelling startled him. She stood holding the wailing boy.

"Eloise Rosalyn Prentiss!" She said with her sternest voice. "You go back to your Momma and get ready for bed and do it quietly. If you keep acting up, you'll be put in time out **and** I'll take away your tablet." Ellie stopped and tipped her nose up to JJ in defiance. JJ clenched her jaw to control her anger. "Okay. No more tablet." JJ calmly walked in front of the girl into her room.

"No!" Ellie cried, "I'll get ready for bed! Don't take it Mommy!" the toddler cried as she tried, and failed, to stop the older blond.

JJ came back out with the electronic, "That's all fine and dandy that you'll go to bed. You were going to anyway. But you do not act like that with me. You can have it back in one week." JJ left, not leaving room for discussion. As she walked by her wife she paused, "Do not baby her, and do not give this back until next week."

Emily nodded; they both knew how soft Emily could be with the kids. They've had Ben home for a few weeks, and both women were trying their best to take care of him and spend as much time as they could with the others. It was harder for JJ, as she was working. Emily found it easier, she had gotten into the habit of playing with the boy and doing everything she could while the kids were at school.

Emily finished getting Ellie ready for bed and read to her before she fell asleep. She peeked into Henry's room. He was sitting on his bed, reading a book to himself. "Hey." Emily started softly. "You ready for bed?"

Henry closed his book and set it down, "I'm ready."

Emily sat next to him on his bed, "You want a song or a chapter of our book?" Emily had been reading him a Nancy Drew novel. He could understand a lot, but his reading level wasn't quite at the chapter book level yet.

"Can I have both?" He asked hopefully. He was feeling a little left out with the family's usual chaos mixed with the new baby.

"Of course. Come on, let's get comfy." Emily grabbed the book and began to read. She made it to the end of the chapter.

"Can we read more? It's too good to stop now." Henry pleaded.

"It's already pretty late. How about we read two tomorrow night?"

"Okay." The boy nodded sadly.

Emily shifted to lay down by him and started to sing to him. She sang a Spanish lullaby, Arroró mi niño. Emily ran a hand down his back as he relaxed into the song. Soon they were both asleep in his bed.

JJ finished getting Ben to sleep after she soothed him with a pacifier and talked softly as she walked around her room. She set him in the bassinet and took a moment to just look at him. Emily have finished tucking the kids in by now. JJ thought she might see if her wife needed help. She saw the door open to Henry's room. She peeked in and saw Emily and Henry curled into each other as Emily snored softly. JJ went to Lola's room, "Hey, come here. I need a few pictures taken." The blond said to the teen who was working on schoolwork on her computer.

Lola grabbed her camera and followed JJ to Henry's room. Lola also smiled, "Hold on. I have to get a different camera lens. I have a night mode one somewhere. I'll be right back."

Lola came back only moments later, and the two girls giggled as they took pictures. JJ finally shook Emily, who was nearly falling off the bed. "Em, baby. Come on. Come to bed with me, you're not gonna fit on Henry's all night."

"But I'm so comfy." The woman whined like a child but moved to roll out of the small bed. She stretched her back as she stood before kissing Henry's forehead. She hugged Lola goodnight and took slow steps to her own room, rubbing her eyes.

JJ giggled, "She looks like a child." She remarked to herself, and Lola laughed about it too. JJ hugged Lola, "Goodnight, sweet girl."

"Night, mom." The teen replied before heading to her room.

JJ popped in her room and crawled next to her already asleep wife. If he kept to the schedule he's made, Benny will be up at midnight and 3:30 for diapers and feedings. Thankfully, they kept clean bottles and formula in their bathroom, so they could manage without going all the way to the kitchen.

JJ took the first feeding, Emily the second. He wouldn't be up again until they all were having breakfast. Emily was the first up, as usual. She fell into her rhythm with getting the kids ready. JJ was up and rushing out earlier than usual. "Case?" Emily asked as she watched the hurry.

JJ stopped, "Yeah. Sorry baby. It sounds like a bad one, could be a while."

Emily nodded in understanding, but couldn't help the sadness she felt, "It's okay. Be safe. Make sure you kiss the kids before you go. I love you." Emily said, finishing pulling Ellie's hair into a tight ponytail. JJ kissed Ellie's cheek before kissing her wife sweetly on the lips. JJ said goodbye to Henry and Lola before she left in a hurry. Emily called down the hall, "Lola! Baby's awake. Do you want to feed him or get you guys cereal?"

"I'll deal with Benny!" She called back from her room, "Give me a minute, I'm almost done!"

"Okay! He should be awake soon!" Emily yelled back, not noticing the girl was walking down the hallway.

Emily almost jumped when Lola talked softly behind her, "Well, he's gonna be awake sooner if you keep yelling like that." Emily chuckled as she finished managing Ellie's fly away hairs. "How much?" Lola asked in reference to how many ounces he needed in his bottle.

"Start with four. If he still acts hungry after that, give him another two, and remember-" Emily was cut off by the teen.

"Put the water in first and make sure to burp him. I know. I got it." Lola said before walking to Emily's room.

Emily was finishing getting the younger kids ready before getting them breakfast. Lola waited in Emily's room watching Ben for signs of waking. When the boy started to squirm and whimper, she ran a hand down his chest and stomach, he calmed and woke up, looking up at Lola. She smiled, "Hey, sweet boy. Ready to eat?" She asked and laughed as he stretched out his tiny body. She picked him up how she was shown to support his head, even though she knew he was getting better at holding it up himself. She carried him downstairs and made him a bottle before sitting in the living room and turning on some tv. She fed him and burped him. He didn't seem like he was still hungry, so she set him in his swing and buckled the straps. She grabbed a couple granola bars before meeting Sophia in the driveway. Emily watched Henry push his cereal around his bowl, his chin resting in his hand as he watched the milk swirl around.

"Henry," Emily got his attention, "What's wrong buddy?"

Emily watched his eyes water before he looked away and sighed, "Nothing, Momma."

"Henry Daniel LaMontagne. Please tell me what's wrong. It hurt my heart to see you upset." Emily pleaded.

Henry got down from the table, "I don't want to be late for school."

Now Emily thought he was acting down since Ben came home, but he only smiles when the baby does something funny. Emily's bright, loving son was fading away and she was going to figure out why. Emily got the youngest three kids into the car, she dropped Henry off first before driving the short distance to Ellie's. She carried Benjamin's carrier and held the girl's small hand as the walked in. Emily checked her in and walked her to her class. "Does Henry seem sad to you?" Emily asked the girl.

"He doesn't want me to tell you, Momma. I promised." Ellie said quietly.

Emily stopped them and knelt in front of her daughter, "What doesn't he want me to know? I promise I won't tell him you told me."

Eloise sighed, her shoulders sagging, "He's sad because the boys at his school are mean to him. He wants to tell Mommy, but he doesn't know how. He said he misses her so much when she's gone so he doesn't want to make her sad when she's home."

Emily nodded along, "Do you know how the boys at school are mean to him?" The brunette pried.

"I don't know. Can I go now?"

Emily sighed and stood, "Yeah, come on. Let's get you to class."

Emily made her way out to the car. She took a second to try and think of a way to help Henry. She was just about to pull the car away when her phone rang. She fished it out of her purse in the front seat. "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Mrs. Prentiss?" A feminine voice asked.

"Yes."

"We need you to come pick up Henry from school. He's been suspended." The person on the line tried to say as nicely as possible.

"Excuse me?" Was all Emily could reply.

"He struck another student. He and the other student are being suspended until the school can investigate the incident."

"Okay, I'll be right there." Emily replied, hanging up before she drove away. When she arrived, she was in such a hurry she almost forgot the baby in the car. She grabbed his carrier and quickly walked inside. After being buzzed in, she found her way to the office. As soon as she entered the office, Henry saw her.

He ran to her, "Momma!" She barely had enough time to set the baby down and catch him. She stood with him in her strong arms as he cried into her shoulder. "I'm sorry. Please don't tell Mommy. Please." He whimpered. Emily soothed him the best she could before the principal stepped into view.

"I have to set you down, bubba. We have to go talk to Mrs. Doak. Come on." She set him down and picked up Ben. As they walked into the office, the other boy glared at Henry. Emily noticed and nearly lost it when he muttered, 'baby' as they walked by. Emily sat down across from the principal, Henry sat in the other chair, not looking up. Benjamin started to fuss so she put his pacifier back in his mouth and rocked the carrier on the floor. "What's going on?" Emily asked, slipping into interrogation mode.

"Mrs. Prentiss, Henry struck the other boy out there. As of right now, both boys have told their side of the story and are both suspended until we examine the footage." Mrs. Doak responded calmly.

"Did you know Henry's been getting bullied? I found out this morning. Did you know my son is exhibiting the early signs of childhood trauma? I know damn well it isn't coming from home, so something is happening here, that is so horrendous he can't sleep, can't eat, can't _**smile**_. You can rest assured that along with your investigation, I will have a private one conducted. I would highly recommend you investigate this fully before making any serious decisions." Emily threatened vaguely. She stood and held her hand out for Henry. "Have a good day." With that, Emily left, leaving no room for further discussion.

Emily got both boys in the car in silence. She got in behind the wheel and started the car but had to make a few phone calls before she could pull out. First was Penelope. They agreed to meet at the BAU after a brief explanation of what happened. Emily called JJ, she gave a detailed explanation of all she heard, explaining Henry hasn't said a word about it since. Then she called her mother and explained she would be over later today to sort out her personal investigation.

Emily walked into the BAU to a waiting Penelope. Henry ran to her, accepting the warm hug from his Aunt Penny. Emily also greeted her before the group made it up to Pen's lair.

"What do you need form me, Emster?"

"I need you to find that footage, I know the school has audio, so I want every detailed stored on an outside source, just in case, then I need a fully background on the Principal. Sharon Doak. Get me everything known and unknown. I also need Henry's files. From teachers, and anything else. Also find out who that kid is. And then run a full background on his parents." Emily said, distain dripping from her voice.

"Is that all? I can have that done in 30 minutes."

"Great, we'll hang around until you can get me everything. I need something for when I go to my parents'."

Penelope typed quickly before she turned in her chair, "It'll have everything printed, the footage will be burned to a dvd. Let me see that baby." She said rolling her chair to the baby. Benjamin was awake and taking in all the bright screens of the room. She scooped him up and rolled back, taking her decorations and showing each one to him. He mostly wanted to suck on her necklace. The computer beeped as the printer started to run. Penelope popped out the burned disc and put it in a case before gathering the papers and putting it all in a large envelope. Emily held Henry and sang to him as they waited. Pen handed over the file before putting Benjamin back in his car seat. "Alright. You're all good. Let me know how it goes."

Emily pulled into the driveway at her parent's house, leading both boys in, not bothering to ring the bell. "Mom? Dad?" She called through the house.

Edward appeared out of the office, "Emmy! Did you bring my grandsons?" He asked, barely acknowledging his daughter.

"Yes, they're in the living room. Where's mom?"

"Upstairs. She's on the phone with your aunt." Edward laughed.

As they walked back into the living room, Henry jumped up, "Papa!" He said, running in for a big hug. "So have Sophie and Gabbie found places yet?" Emily asked as the group sat in the den, waiting for Elizabeth.

"Not yet. They've found an office space, so their work keeps them out for most the day. It's given your mother a break. We've never had a loud house, even at large parties, it was always murmuring and soft piano music. But those girls, man do they fight! They only communicate through bickering. It never ends!" Edward laughed. "Then one calls their mother to tattle and Sera calls us to apologize for them. And then they cycle begins again. Sophia agreed to move with Gabbie so now they have to find a place for them both and the baby."

"Well that's good. They both could use each other." Emily answered right as Elizabeth came down the stairs. Emily laughed at her stressed face. Her mother hid it well, but Emily's been around her too long to not noticed the tension in her forehead, and the tightness in the muscles around her shoulders and neck. "Mother, do you think you could feed Ben for me? He should be getting hungry again soon and I'd like to go over what I have before we start."

Emily watched the smile spread across her mother's features. "Of course, dear. Why don't we do that in the office and Edward can stay out here with Henry?"

Emily stood and carried the infant's bag to the office. She went out to kitchen and made a quick bottle before meeting her mother. She handed the bottle to Elizabeth who immediately gave it to the boy. She rocked slightly as her looked bright eyed at her. Elizabeth started to hum something to him. Emily was going through all the files she got from Penelope. "Can I see your laptop?" She asked when she came across the disc.

"Yes, dear. It's plugged in in the dining room."

Emily came back and got to work, scouring through everything in the folder. When she was done, she figured out what had happened. She called Jen, "Hey baby. I figured out what happened, and Henry did absolutely nothing wrong."

"Okay, what did happen?"

"The principal was put in her position after an endorsement by a senator. That senator is the mother of the other boy. The senator has been paying the principal three thousand dollars for keeping anything out of his record. He's young but she thinks a problem child now would ruin his chances at further schools, and that it will slander her name. Not only that, but the principal has disregarded all the claims from their teachers of the other boy's bullying. I've seen the reports, she did nothing for our son. She cast him aside and it's taking everything in me not to hunt her down right now. So, do you want me to destroy them both now? Or should I wait for you?" Emily smirked.

"Do we still have that camera from Lola's birthday?" Jennifer asked, a smirk on her own face, "I don't know when I'll be home, and I think this has gone far enough and I want to watch them burn."

"I agree. The camera is in sunglasses though, how do you suggest I mend that?"

"Just fold then into the front of your shirt. The picture will be sideways, but we can always reformat it." The blond suggested through the phone.

"Sounds good. I'll keep you updated. I have to call the principal, I love you."

"I love you too. Be good to our boy."

"Always." Emily hung up and made another call. "Hi, may I speak with Mrs. Doak. It's Emily Prentiss. Yes, I can wait for a moment." Emily waited, "Hello, Mrs. Doak. I would like to apologize for my behavior. You can understand no mother wants to hear that. I would like to set up a time to talk with you and the other boy's mother. Maybe we can come to a civilized conclusion of this situation." Emily paused and checked her watch. "One o'clock works for me. I'll see you then. Thank you." Emily hung up and looked to her mother, "Are the boys good here?"

"Oh, we should be just fine." She said smiling to the baby asleep in her arms.

"Okay, let's trade cars incase you need to go anywhere. I have to run home and change."

"Okay, keys are by the front door." Liz watched her daughter turn to leave, "Oh, and Emmy?" Her daughter looked back to her, "I want to see that video later."

Emily smiled widely, "Of course."

With that, Emily left, borrowing her mother's sedan, and set out to destroy the people who caused her son so much heartache. If their was one thing people should know about Emily Prentiss, never fuck with her family.


	27. Chapter 27

Emily just arrived at the school. She walked in confidently, everything she needed tucked neatly in her purse. She walked confidently into the principal's office. She shook the senator's hand, giving the appearance that this really was a casual meeting with the only purpose being a peaceful resolution.

Mrs. Doak sat across her desk from both women, "Alright, where should we start?"

Emily leant forward, "Actually, I'd like to say something, if that's alright?"

"Of course, Mrs. Prentiss."

"I would like Peter Schultz expelled for bullying and repeated violent offenses." Emily said confidently.

"Mrs. Prentiss," Mrs. Doak started, "That is quite the unfounded request."

"Oh? Is it?" Emily countered, "You and your college roommate have quite the system set up here. She gets you the job as principal at an elite charter school, and in return, you swipe her deviant child's actions under the rug."

"How dare you?" Asked the senator.

"I am far from done. I told your friend I would launch a full-scale investigation. She must have assumed it would be slow, slow enough for you to cover your tracks." Emily pulled out the text messages between the two. The messages highlighted the concern Mrs. Doak had when Peter repeatedly acted violent towards Henry. "'We have to do something about Peter'" Emily quoted a line Mrs. Doak sent, she looked at the senator, "To which you replied, 'We will figure this out, no need to do something hasty.' And then immediately after that, you, Senator Schultz, began paying her three thousand a month in hush money. That's beyond unethical, that's extortion. It's illegal. All I have to do is make one phone call and I could have you both arrested."

"Where did you get those?!" Mrs. Doak asked. "That was a private conversation!"

"This would never stand up in court. You have nothing." The senator said at the same time.

Emily leant back, relaxed. "There are no private conversations on a government employee's work phone. And are you sure it wouldn't stand up in court?" Emily pulled out the reports teachers made of Peter's misconduct and her laptop. She played the security footage, the volume all the way up. "You see, that's your son taunting Henry, my sweet Henry, about having a family that dared to vary from heteronormative. He even said his mom told him that my entire family will go to hell. Then, your son shoved my son down and said, 'Enjoy hell.' Then when Henry tried to stand up, Peter kicked him. Only then did my son strike yours. You have quite a violent child. Maybe I should call my friend with social services. A household that allows such blatant violence is not one a child should be in." Emily threatened, "And Mrs. Doak, you have taken every report from every teach against Peter and filed it away. That is highly against this schools' policies, is it not?"

"What do you want?" The senator asked through gritted teeth while the principal avoided eye contact at all costs.

"Peter will no longer attend this school. Whether he is expelled, or is transferred, I don't care. And you will not do it because you feel pressured, you will do it because deep down, Mrs. Doak, you know it's the right thing to do. Then Henry will have his suspension revoked. Now, if these simple steps aren't followed, every media news outlet in D.C. will hear of this scandal. Have we come to an agreement?" Emily got affirmatives from both women, "Good, I think we're done here. Have a nice day, Mrs. Doak. And senator, I'd recommend not beating your son for this. He displays all the psychological markers for abuse, I've already called a wellness check for him. It's best if he doesn't have any new bruises when it happens." Emily walked out confidently.

After the day she's had, Emily tried to get the kids to bed as soon as possible, but it seemed as if whenever one was almost done, another would need something, and the cycle would start again. Finally, Emily groaned, "Fuck it, it's Friday." She said to herself, "Okay, come on, let's go watch a movie in my room and then we're all going to bed. Okay?"

Henry and Ellie ran off to her room, Emily turned to Lola who was settling into bed with the dogs, "You coming? Movies in my room."

Lola smiled, "Okay, I'll be right there."

Emily was grateful that Ben could sleep through noise, the only way to wake him when he wasn't ready, was to make him cold. If he wasn't a sound sleeper, the noise from Henry and Ellie alone would have woken him. Emily put in a movie on the tv of her room. All the kids settled in, Henry was by her side, then Ellie, finally Lola was at the other edge. Emily was grateful for the large king bed as she settled in with them. The movie ran its credits and she turned it off, before laying down fully in bed. Henry settled into her, "Momma?" His little voice asked.

"What's up, bubba?"

"Can you sing to me?"

Emily smiled and sang him a song, by the time she finished he was asleep, and she wasn't far behind. She got up with Ben twice, as usual. The kids in the bed with her didn't bat an eye. They simply snored through his whimpers. When Benjamin woke up at 7:30, she knew he would awake for a couple hours. She got up and took him to his nursery. She fed him, then changed him and put him in a cute outfit. She made her way down the stairs and buckled him in the swing before disconnecting the bouncer and carrying it carefully to the kitchen she set it on the island counter and made some coffee before starting breakfast. She looked over and saw Sergio on the counter near the baby. He was looking at the squirming infant quizzically. Emily stopped what she was doing, ready to intervene if she had to. The house was usually to loud for him to venture out and meet the new member. Emily was surprised to see the cat start rubbing up against the baby Benjamin giggled as Sergio tried to crawl into the bouncer with him. Emily almost thought about leaving him, but when the cat rested near the baby's head, she saw the angle it put on the baby's noggin and made the cat move. She laughed at the glare she got from Sergio and scratched behind his ear. She heard the thunderous steps come down the stairs and saw both blond kids slide into the kitchen.

"Good morning!" She chirped as they climbed their way up the bar stools at the island. "Ellie, did you go potty?"

"Yes, Momma." She said reaching for the plastic cup of juice Emily got her when she heard them come down. "What's for breakfast?"

"Banana pancakes. Where's Lola?"

Henry made a face, "She kicked us out of bed as soon as we got up." He pouted.

The brunette laughed, "Of course she did. You guys can be pretty loud. Let's eat and figure out something to do today." Emily let the kids eat in the kitchen instead of moving them all to the dining room. About halfway through, Lola came down, her usual morning scowl prominent as she got her plate ready. Emily was about to give her grief when her phone rang, "Hey Sandy." She answered after seeing the contact pop up.

"Hey, Emily! I called JJ but she told she was on a case."

"Yeah, she's gone. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you guys wanted to come up for Thanksgiving. I know it's only October, but I wanted to give you guys plenty of time to plan if you decided to. JJ's brother is coming up from Ohio and I thought that would be perfect for you guys to come to." Sandy offered.

"You just want all your kids and grandkids together at once, don't you?"

Sandy laughed, "Of course I do! But we haven't had a big Jareau meal in a while and I really want to do that this year."

"Have you already talked to Jen about it?"

"Yes. She said it was up to you, so I called right away before she could."

"Then we will make it there, come hell or high water."

"Fantastic! Have Jen call when she gets home, and we'll figure something out. See you, Emily. Give the kids my love."

"Will do. Bye Sandy."

Emily turned to the kids, "Well we're going to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. But right now, we need something to do for the day."

They settled on a trip to the aquarium. Emily carried Ben on her chest, and let Ellie have the stroller, it was easier that way. They walked around Eloise and Henry were the most interested, but Lola loved the touch pool. Lola and Emily sat on a bench in a room dedicated to kids' learning. Emily extracted the baby from his carrier and checked his diaper before holding him out to Lola. "Can you hold him for a minute? My back is killing me."

Lola took him and spoke to him as he looked around at the different tanks. Emily watched Ellie and Henry, they held hands the whole time like Emily asked them to as the looked around the room. Emily watched another little boy join them, and they gladly accepted his friendship. A woman pushing a stroller came up and sat with them.

"Are those too yours?" She asked kindly.

Emily put her guard up, the woman looked genuine and kind, but it was a habit. "Yeah, that's Henry and Eloise. And this," She gestured to her daughter as she talked to the baby, laughing at a face he made, "Is Lola and Benjamin."

The woman leaned over to look at them and smiled, "How cute! How old is he?"

"He's about ten weeks old. This is his first real trip into the world." Emily chuckled.

"Gosh! He's tiny." She remarked, not in a critical way.

"Yeah, the doctor says that while he is smaller than his age group average, he's growing at a steady rate. So far we have no need to worry." Emily stretched out her back again, "What about yours?"

"My boy out there is Bentley," She pointed to the boy playing with Ellie and Henry, "And in here, she pulled back the blanket covering the baby seat in the stroller, "Is Greyson. He's only eight weeks today." Emily compared the boy to Benny; the baby was younger but bigger than her own son. The woman next to her must have noticed the critique because she stopped Emily's thought process, "Don't worry. My family has big babies. If your doctor says he's fine, then there's no need to compare." She smiled sweetly.

"You're right," Emily agreed, "Oh! I'm Emily. It's nice to meet you!"

"I'm Rebecca. I just moved here from Kansas. My husband got a job at the Quantico FBI office."

"No way!" Emily said, "Small world. My wife is a profiler at the BAU." Emily paused. She was waiting for the whole homosexual marriage thing to affect the woman. When she saw no change, she continued. "We used to work together but I left the office shortly after we married. I run my family's business now."

"Jeffrey works in Blue Collar now, but he travels a lot more now, and it's starting to get to me with the new baby." Rebecca said, sadness tinging her voice.

"I know how that feels. I probably understand more than most, but it still gets hard. I had to deal with Henry getting suspended by myself yesterday." Emily remarked.

Lola leaned forwards, "Henry was suspended? What happened?"

"Don't worry, it's been handled. He stood up to his bully. It's all been resolved. He goes back Monday without a mark on his record." Emily said back quietly.

Emily was stopped as Henry, Ellie and they boy she now knew was Bentley, ran up to them. "Momma! I'm hungry!" Ellie said loudly.

"Well, I'll let you go. It was nice talking to you, Emily." Rebecca said.

"Wait!" Emily caught her, "Why don't you join us? We can go get some lunch, there's a restaurant right in the same parking area."

"That sounds nice, I'd love to." Rebecca smiled.

Emily strapped Ben back to her chest and got Ellie back in the stroller. "Henry, can you grab me the blanket out of the diaper bag?" She asked as she strapped the girl into the restraints. Most people would make a four-year-old walk, but Ellie had a bad habit of running off if she wasn't restrained, and Emily hated the idea of child leashes.

"It's not there." The blond answered plainly.

"God dammit," Emily muttered and squatted near the back of the stroller to find it. When she couldn't she stood and looked at Lola, "Can I borrow your jacket for the walk to the restaurant?"

Lola was about to take her jacket off when Rebecca spoke up, "Oh, don't worry. I have an extra with me." She pulled it out and handed it to Emily. "I usually don't but this was still in the diaper bag when I packed it."

Emily took it, "Thank you so much. Come on, let's go."

The group walked to the restaurant and got a table. Once they were seated, Emily leaned over to Ellie, "Remember the rule?" She asked.

Ellie's voice was quiet, "Inside voice only. I know."

That earned a laugh from Rebecca, "I wish I could get Bentley to understand that. He practically yells all the time. I've even had his ears checked three times!"

"I do not!" Bentley yelled, earning a laugh from the older three members of the group.

The group laughed and chatted throughout lunch. When the ticket came, Emily stopped Rebecca from reaching for her purse. "I've got it."

"Oh, Emily. I couldn't ask you to pay for it." Rebecca said.

"You didn't ask. I offered. Plus, I'm already paying for four people. What's two more?" Emily said, slipping her card into the bill folder.

"Well thank you. Before we go, do you think we can exchange numbers? I have no friends or family here and my days are getting pretty boring."

"Of course. Here." Emily pulled out a pen and paper from her purse and scribbled down her name and number. "Call or text whenever. After the kids are at school, I'm pretty free."

Rebecca took the paper, "Thank you. I will. See you!" She called as her and her boys left.

As the Prentiss family walked out, Lola looked to Emily, "First mom friend is in the books."

Emily laughed, "Yeah, I guess so. Is that a mommy milestone or something?"

Lola just shrugged. Emily got the kids in the car, and headed home where they did nothing but laze around and enjoy each other's company.


	28. Chapter 28

**October 12****th****, 2013**

Emily and JJ were dressing for Emily's birthday dinner. Emily had asked for no party, so JJ relented and let Emily just have a dinner for the two of them. Emily was slipping on her heels when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

The sitter was calling to cancel. Less than an hour before she was supposed to be here.

"God dammit!" Emily groaned, "The one time we don't have a backup is the time she cancels. Fucking figures."

JJ rubbed her wife's shoulders. Jen knew Emily was looking forward to this. While JJ got kid free days for work, Emily was never away from them. As much as she loved them, she needed a break. "We'll figure something out. If it comes down to it, we can have Pen come and work from here."

"I know," She sighed, "I just didn't want to have to ask."

"Why don't I watch them?" Lola asked from the doorway. "I mean, I know how."

"No. I don't want you to feel like you have to raise your younger siblings." JJ said, her voice firm.

"Mom come on. It's one night. It's already 8. They'll be asleep in an hour. I can do this."

"I don't know…" Emily started, "Mel and her family aren't even here if something goes wrong."

"Just, just let me do this for you guys. Please?" Lola sounded like she was begging.

"Lola, you know that you don't owe us or anything, right?" JJ said after profiling her.

"Don't profile me. I just want to help you guys, but if you really don't trust me that much never mind." Lola turned to stomp off.

Emily caught her, "Okay, first of all, cut the attitude. Second, we never said we don't trust you. We just want to make sure you're 100% okay with this."

"I am. That's why I offered."

"Okay. Let me write down a couple emergency numbers." JJ scribbled on a piece of paper as Emily finished getting ready. The women led the teen through all the security measures. "Make sure you keep the house on lockdown until we're home."

"Okay, I got it. Go. Have fun." Lola said, trying to keep them on time for their reservation.

Emily led JJ into the fancy restaurant. She informed the hostess of their reservation and were sat quickly. They ate, talked, and enjoyed their solitary moment. Emily paid and began to drive them home.

JJ ran a hand up Emily's thigh. "Jen." Emily warned.

"What, baby?" The blond teased back.

"I'm driving."

JJ leaned over and whispered in her wife's ear, "Then drive." Her hot breath sending shivers down Emily's body. JJ punctuated her statement by biting on the brunette's long neck.

Emily tightened her hands on the wheel, "Fuck. Jennifer."

JJ stopped her assault, "I love when you call me that. It gets me so hot."

Emily pulled off the highway on an exit that was certainly not theirs. JJ was too busy torturing Emily to notice. When Emily pulled into a house that wasn't theirs, JJ finally took in her surroundings.

"Where are we?"

"A house Morgan is working on. The rest of the team is away, and I want to make you scream. We'll go home later." Emily answered, pulling herself from the car.

Emily walked up the front porch. She typed in the code for the key box hanging on the doorknob. She quickly unlocked the door and pushed the blond in. "How did you know the code?" JJ asked as Emily pushed her against the door.

"I had to walk through with the inspector while you guys were gone. Derek gave me the code for that." Emily stopped any further questions with a deep kiss, immediately pushing her tongue into JJ's waiting mouth. Emily pulled back leaving both women breathless. Emily turned them and walked them through the ground floor, coming to the only room with furniture: the dining room.

Emily pushed JJ against the edge of the table and lifted her at the waist to get her settled on it. Emily pushed JJ's legs apart and stood between them, JJ wrapping her arms around her wife's neck as they kissed again. "We have to be quick." The blond whispered against Emily's lips.

Emily ran her hand up the inside of JJ's thighs. She immediately arched into the touch, "I know." Emily muttered, trailing sloppy kisses down JJ's neck and chest. Emily's hand easily found its way under JJ's dress and teased the blond over her panties.

"Emily. Don't tease."

Emily smiled against the soft skin beneath her. She moved JJ's underwear to the side and gathered some of the wetness before circling the younger woman's clit. JJ gasped and ground into the feather-like touch. Emily slipped her hand down lower and inserted two fingers. JJ moaned about her.

"Harder, faster." Emily quickly obliged, causing JJ's breath to hitch, "Emmy!" she cried, feeling her orgasm quickly approaching.

Emily used her thumb to trace circles over JJ's clit, quickly causing the blond to come around her fingers. Emily leant down and kissed her passionately, swallowing all the noises she tried to make.

JJ quickly stood, she turned them, "Bend over the table." She husked.

Emily was spread widely in front of her wife in no time. JJ was using her own fingers to bring her wife over her own orgasm. After she came, JJ helped Emily ride it out before pulling out. The blond checked her watch, "We have to go. It's almost midnight."

The pair left quickly, only stopping to turn of lights and secure the house.

They walked into their room, expecting Lola to be in their bed for Ben. Instead they found a note on their pillows.

"_Moms,_

_I took Ben's bassinet to my room so you could have some 'alone time'. Love you._

_Lola_"

"Well, good news for us." Emily joked before kissing her wife and falling into bed with her.

**October 31****st****, 2013**

"Jennifer!" Emily called up the stairs. "Come on! We have to hurry because Lola has a party to go to at nine!"

"I know, Emily!" The blond snapped, "This fucking dress is pinching! Give me a minute."

Emily looked to Penelope who was there to take pictures of the family's group costume. The family was the Wizard of Oz cast. It was cliché, but it was the only one that had enough members for the large family that they could agree on. Emily was Dorothy, naturally, JJ was Glinda the good witch, Lola was the tinman, Henry was the scarecrow, Ellie the lion, and Ben was Todo. Ben would be strapped to Emily's chest in his carrier that was currently decorated like a wicker basket.

JJ came down the stairs, fighting with the poofy dress. "Lola, are you sure you'll be warm enough?" JJ asked in reference to Lola's interpretation of the tinman. It was a silver dress that fell to above her knee, she had her hair tucked behind a silver pointy hat, and silver knee high boots. Emily had immediately rejected the outfit when she first saw it, luckily for Lola, Jen had fought her on it.

"I'll be fine mom. I'll only be with you for an hour, then the party at the Andersen's is all indoors." Lola responded.

"And you'll call for anything while you're there?" Emily emphasized.

"I promise. Now let's get pictures and get going before Rebecca has to wait any longer." Lola said. Emily had invited Rebecca when she found out Jeff would be gone for Halloween. She and her boys were also doing a family costume. Rebecca had her naturally red hair in pigtails for Wendy from Toy Story 2, Bentley was Woody, and the stroller she would have Greyson in was decorated like Bullseye.

The family stood together, making sure each costume could be easily identified from the picture. They left for trick-or-treating around their neighborhood. At one house, the knocked and an elderly woman answered. She took in the Prentiss family and smiled brightly. "Andrew!" She called into the house behind her. "Come here! Look at these costumes." She turned her attention back to her family, "You guys are all so cute!" She took in each person and landed on the baby strapped to Emily, "Oh! You even have a little Todo!"

The elderly man came into view and stopped before a bright smile spread across his face, "See, Marney? I told you we'd get one!"

"One what?" Henry asked, impatiently waiting for candy.

"One Wizard of Oz group. We had our first date at a screening of it. The last couple years we haven't seen one, you all made our nights! May I get a picture?" Marney answered.

"Of course!" Emily answered. "How long have you been married?"

"Oh, about 73 years." Andrew answered as he took a quick picture of the family.

"That's amazing!" JJ said, throwing a smile to Emily.

Marney handed each kid a big handful of sweets, much to Henry's delight. "You all have a nice night. Thank you for brightening our night."

The family waved them off and made the rest of the block before heading home in time for Lola to catch her ride.

After all the kids were asleep, JJ and Emily changed and settled in the living room. Emily looked to her wife, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Wizard of Oz?" JJ asked knowingly.

"Yep." Emily said, popping the end of the word.

The settled on the couch, cuddled together as they watched. Lola came in right at her curfew. "Cutting it close kid." JJ joked.

"I know. But I am still technically on time." The teen countered.

"Smartass." Emily laughed. "Go get ready for bed. You have to go to school tomorrow."

The couple finished the movie before going to bed themselves.

**November 9****th****, 2013**

It was the Saturday before Henry's birthday and they were getting ready for his party. He wanted to have a party at a local arcade place. It served food and had more advanced games than a Chuck E Cheese. Instead of tokens, you got reloadable game cards that you would slide like a credit card. There were six boys running around, and three girls, from Henry's class. Then there was the Prentiss family, Emily's parents, her cousins, Graiden's family, the BAU and Rebecca's family. Emily laughed at Morgan and Spencer who were in a competition over who could score highest at the largest games. Sophia and Gabbie were snobs about the pizza, though Sophia at least tried to eat it. Every time it came close to Gabbie, hormones took over and she started to look green. Emily kept a close eye on all the kids as they wreaked havoc amongst the establishment. Emily had rented out the whole arcade for this event, so that made her feel a little better. Soon, it was time for cake and presents. Emily let Ben suck some frosting off her finger before JJ yelled at her for giving him dairy too soon.

Henry got a lot of toys from his friends, and almost everyone else in attendance. He got a cool pair of shoes from Penelope, and Emily and JJ got him a piano mat that he could spread across the floor to make practicing more fun for him. After the day, Emily measured the success of the party by how quickly the kids fell asleep.

She spent the rest of the night talking to Sandy Jareau and making plans. Emily knew JJ would want to go hunting with her brother and father, so she threw out an idea that Sandy loved. "What if we rent a large cabin and spend the week there?"

"That sounds wonderful, but Emily, you know how I feel about you spending too much money on us."

Emily thought of her most charming answer, "Well I could never put a price on time well spent with the Jareau family." Sandy laughed but ultimately agreed. "Great. We'll see you the 24th. I'll email you the details. Bye Sandy. We love you." Emily said for her asleep family.

"See you then. We love you too." Sandy said for her husband.

Emily hung up and crawled into bed with her wife, also falling asleep quickly.


	29. Chapter 29

Emily got the kids up at five the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Emily had spent most of Friday packing everything. They settled on taking JJ's Volvo because it had more storage room. She carried Ellie out to the car, letting her stay in her pajamas. JJ did the same with Henry. Lola had to walk herself, but the women knew she could fall back asleep quite easily. It was only three hours and thirty minutes to their cabin, and Emily hoped the kids would sleep through it so they could avoid making extra stops. Once all the kids were in the car, Emily looked to JJ.

"Go over the checklist with me one more time?" She asked as she popped the trunk.

"Suitcases?"

"Check."

"Portable crib?"

"Check."

"Extra baby supplies and clothes?"

Emily fished around the trunk to find the stash, "Check."

"Toiletries?"

"Check."

"Purses and chargers?"

"Check."

"Kids stuff? Board games, soccer ball and nets, Ben's bouncer?"

"Check."

"My hunting stuff?"

"Check."

"That looks like all you had written down. My parents are bringing all the food supplies with them when they come so that should be handled. I think we're good baby." JJ paused to kiss Emily. "We're set. Relax Em."

"Okay. Let's get this show on the road." Emily said, quickly typing in the address into the GPS on the car.

They made it through two hours of the drive before Benjamin woke up. JJ quickly made a bottle with a water bottle she packed for this occasion. She leant over the center console to feed him. He was pretty awake after that but was happy with his pacifier and the toys that dangled from his car seat's handle. The rest of the ride went smoothly. She pulled up the driveway to meet the owner of the property. She got the key and learned a few things about the property from the friendly man. She shook his hand and waved him off. She unloaded the kids first and asked Lola to keep an eye on them while her and Jen unloaded the car. Emily looked for the rooms she was looking for. She found the room with two sets of bunkbeds and set the girl's bags in there.

"Lola, you get the top bunk, Ellie will be right bellow you. Your cousins will have the other set."

Emily put Henry's bag in the room with two twin beds. The other three rooms all had queen beds, she and JJ snagged the largest one. Emily set up the portable crib in there and met her family back in the den.

"So, the guy said this place is powered through solar power. He said he'd be notified immediately if there was a problem with it, but that the weather forecast looked good and there shouldn't be an issue. If there is, he said he can set up generators and that there are fireplaces around the cabin if we want to use it." Emily relayed to JJ and the kids.

"Okay. Sounds good, huh Benny?" She asked, smiling to the baby. The family of six settled in. JJ made Henry and Eloise put real clothes on before her family got there. Emily changed the baby into a flannel outfit and put little boots on him. "Em, you know he won't keep those on, right?"

"You don't know that. I think their cute. Plus, they're fur lined so his feet will stay nice and toasty." She said sticking her finger in the top of the boots to prove it.

"Em? Are those Louis Vitton?" JJ asked after looking closer.

Emily looked away, "They were the only boots he had to fit him right now." She muttered.

JJ laughed and groaned, "My sister-in-law will give us such shit about that."

"I don't care. They're cute." She defended, hugging the baby closer to her.

The family sat around until about 11:30 when they heard two cars come up the long gravel driveway. The Prentiss clan greeted the newcomers out on the front porch.

Sandy and Daniel were in the first car, well truck with a trailer of four ATV's being towed by it. Sandy was out first, "This is gorgeous!"

"It sure is!" Emily called back, walking towards the woman with Benjamin in her arms. She hugged Sandy with one arm before relenting the infant.

JJ was hugging her dad before her and Emily traded. The elder Jareau's moved to greeting all the kids while Emily and JJ moved to Christopher Jareau and his family.

Chris greeted Emily warmly before turning to his family, "Kids. Come here!" He ordered. The three blondes lined up next to him, "This is Brooke, 15, Adalyn, 11, and Bryson, 6. Kids, say hi to Aunt Emily."

"Hi Aunt Emily!" The three called in unison.

Emily greeted all of them before calling her own kids over, "This is Lola, 14, Ellie, 4, and Benjamin is with your Grandma, he's only a baby." Emily said, introducing the new cousins.

JJ finished chatting with Angie, Chris' wife. "Brooke, Addie, you'll share a room with Lola and Ellie. Lola, can you show them up?"

Lola smiled, but JJ could tell she was uncomfortable. JJ had full confidence that her niece's friendly demeanor would help her relax. "Sure thing mom." Lola said, turning on her heel and leading them through the large cabin.

"Henry," Emily started, "Can you show your cousin the room you boys will share?"

Henry led Bryson away, pulling him by his hand. All the adults, and Benjamin gathered in the driveway. Angie saw Sandy carrying Ben, "Oh! Baby! Let me see him!" She said, reaching for the baby. She held him closer to her and sniffed his thick head of hair before turning him around and resting his bum on her forearm for him to look out. "Uh, Jayje?" Angie asked, laughing lightly, "is your baby wearing designer boots?"

JJ threw a glare at Emily, "I told you she'd notice!" She turned back to Angie, "Yeah, Emily did it."

"They were the only boots he fit in!" Emily whined, earning a laugh from the group.

"Come on," Sandy said, "Let's leave the boys to carry everything in."

"There are only two of us! That's not fair!" Chris whined.

JJ threw a mischievous grin his way, "Oh, I'm sorry that my lifestyle doesn't fit with your heteronormative ideals of life for a little bit of convenience."

Chris quirked an eyebrow at her, "Did you just pull the gay card on me?"

"Yep!" JJ called as she walked away.

Emily was walking with Angie a little ahead of JJ. Angie looked at her, "You know, it's weird. He kind of looks like you." She said looking between Ben and Emily, "He's got that almost black hair, that super pale skin. The only difference are his eyes, they're grey, but they could always develop another color."

Emily looked at her son, "Huh. He kind of does, doesn't he? Good, now I may have one that kind of looks like me. JJ has Henry, it's about damn time I got one." Emily earned a laugh from Angie.

Emily sat in the living room with the others. The kids were still no where to be seen, except Benny who was giggling as Sandy played with him. Lola came down the stairs and held her phone up, "Does this place have WiFi or anything? I can't get service."

Emily smiled, "Sorry babe. None of that. I picked this place specifically so we could disconnect. There's a landline for emergencies, but other than that, we're all alone out here."

Lola looked shocked, "Nothing? We're here for a week. What am I supposed to do?" She whined.

"Lola." JJ warned, "There are plenty of things you can do. Practice your concert pieces, there's a piano so Emily can help. You brought your camera, take some pictures around the cabin. Get to know your cousins. You don't have to live through your cellphone."

Lola felt a little bit of guilt course through her at her behavior, "You're right. Sorry. I'll go see if the girls want to go for a hike with me." She turned before anyone could say anything.

Angie laughed and JJ glared at her, "What' so funny?"

Angie suppressed another giggle, "Emily must be the fun parent. She buys things for them, but when their heads get to big, you cut them down pretty elegantly. It's just funny. I never pictured you like that."

"Hey! I can be the strict parent too!" Emily said as if she was insulted.

"Emily," Angie laughed again, "You put a baby in designer shoes. I just can't imagine you're that intimidating."

Emily smiled and was about to quip back when Ben started to whimper and fuss. "Give me my baby. He's hungry."

She scooped Ben up from Sandy and stomped out of the room, leaving the other's laughing at her temper tantrum. The Jareau's continued to chat and laugh when Lola, Brooke, Addie, and Ellie came down, bundled in light jackets. JJ saw Ellie about to follow the older girls out, "Hey! Where are you guys going?"

Lola turned, "I told you we were going for a hike. I'm going to try and take some pictures. Ellie asked if she could go. I told her she could. Is that a problem?"

"Can you just make sure you watch her really closely? Don't take your eyes off her, okay? You know how she likes to run. Do you girls have a compass?" Jennifer cautioned.

Addie held a small compass up, "I have one from scouts, Auntie Jenny." She smiled brightly.

"Good, and you'll make sure you all come back in one piece?"

"Scouts honor!" Addie promised.

"Okay, have fun girls." JJ relented.

The girls waved goodbye as Emily came back, burping the baby. "Where are they going?" The brunette asked.

"Hiking. Lola wants pictures." JJ informed, Emily made a noise of understanding

Emily handed Benny to JJ, "I'm going to help your dad and brother. I saw them from the window, they are trying to bring it all in at once and they may need to take a more logical approach" Everyone laughed at the comment.

After a few minutes the boys came down the stairs, "Mommy!" Henry yelled, making Ben jump in his almost asleep state. "Can we play soccer?"

JJ smiled, "Only if you use your inside voice." She stood to lead them outside, Ben still in her arms.

"Jennifer." Sandy said, "Are you just going to play soccer with a baby in your arms? Let me take him."

"No, I was going to strap him to my chest. He loves when he gets to play soccer with us. Come out and watch! It's so cute!" The blond informed her family.

JJ opened the trunk of her car and pulled out the soccer equipment. She found the body carrier and quickly got Ben secured against her, facing out. He waved his arms excitedly as she set up. She had the soccer nets posted on opposite sides of the large yard. As the game began, it was Bryson and Henry against JJ and Ben. Anytime JJ ran, she put a hand on Ben to keep him from jiggling around to much. As she stated, Ben loved it. He giggled and squealed as JJ went about the game. Angie and Sandy laughed from the large wrap-around porch. When Emily saw what was going on, she stopped and watched with them. Soon the men were done with their chore and posted up on the patio furniture, watching as well.

Emily saw it coming before it happened. She saw JJ trip over one of the blond boys. Emily jumped the porch railing as it was happening. JJ was going down, face first. Right as her second foot left the ground, she flicked it and spun her body so her back hit the ground first. Her arms wrapped around the baby as her back hit the ground with a dull thud that knocked the air out of her. Emily was by her side instantly.

"Jennifer? Baby. Are you okay?" Emily asked panicked.

JJ nodded, "Take him." She gasped, trying to unbuckle the baby.

Emily quickly undid the baby, handing him to Angie who was also by JJ quickly. When the baby saw the panic on the faces of his family, he started to cry loudly. Had they stayed calm in the situation he may not have cried. Emily helped JJ get the carrier off so she could try to get her breath back quickly. Angie tried to soothe the baby, and Henry and Bryson stood close, also scared.

Bryson also started to cry, "I'm sorry Aunt Jenny! I didn't mean to trip you!" he wailed.

JJ had her breath back and sat up, "It's okay. Accidents happen and we're all okay."

Emily helped JJ up. JJ grabbed Ben from Angie and soothed the baby quickly. Angie helped calm down Bryson. Emily hugged JJ "How are you really?"

JJ shrugged, "I've had worse. Sore back and probably a sprained ankle, but I'll be okay. I'm just glad I spun quickly enough." JJ hugged the baby closer to her, glad she didn't fall on him.

The girls appeared through the thick woods laughing until they saw the tense scene before them.

"What happened?" Lola asked.

Sandy spoke first, "Your mother tried to kill your brother by playing soccer with him." The blond glared at her daughter.

"Oh Benny!" Lola cooed, moving to take him. The baby immediately went to her, hugging close to her chest. She handed her camera to Emily on her way into the house, "Look at the pictures, I think you all will love them." She said casually before disappearing into the house.

"He really likes her, doesn't he?" Chris asked JJ.

"She's his favorite person. Anytime she's around, we're trash to him." Emily answered for her wife, laughing.

"Come on. Let's get some lunch going." Daniel stated, heading in the cabin.

Emily ushered all the kids in before her. She found Lola in the den, rocking slightly and humming. Emily smiled and sat next to her. "Do you want me to take him up to his crib?"

Lola shook her head, "No. I can do it. I just like to show off my baby magic." She chuckled.

"That's fair," Emily joined in the soft laughter, "Will you bring your laptop back down? You can show us all your pictures."

"Okay. I'll be back." The teen stood slowly to not wake the sleeping infant.

By the time she came back, Emily had gathered the family in the large dining area. "Let's see the shots you got." Emily smiled at her daughter.

Lola plugged her camera into the computer. She pulled up her photo app so she could view the material. She pulled up the first picture and the adults gasped. It was a photo of all four girls, posed delicately in a field. There were wildflowers surrounding them and a herd of deer behind them. Each girl wore a bright smile and matching shirts.

"When did you get matching shirts?" Angie asked.

"Actually, it was an accident. When I proposed we surprise you with pictures, we all searched through our luggage for something that matched. We all had at least one red flannel shirt." Lola answered.

"And you hid them under your coats. It's cold enough for us not to take notice." JJ surmised.

"Exactly." Brooke confirmed.

"These are beautiful." Sandy said, "The way the light is bouncing around really highlights you four. It is absolutely stunning. I need a copy."

"I'll have it printed on canvas. Send us each a copy?" Emily suggested.

"Sounds perfect." Angie answered.

"There's something missing." JJ said.

"What?" Lola asked.

"The boys. Can we go out and take more when Ben wakes?"

Lola thought for a moment, "The field we found was perfectly round, and the boulder formation we're on is right in the middle. Theoretically we can recreate it with the later light."

"Okay, we'll get everyone ready. You girls stay as you are. You'll lead us to the field." JJ instructed, turning her attention to Angie, "I packed Ben and Henry a matching blue flannel outfit. Do you think Bryson has something like that?"

"He should. I'm pretty sure I packed something like that. I'll go look." Angie said as she headed to the boys' room.

"First, we have lunch while baby Ben sleeps." Daniel said, herding the family to the dining area. The large wood-carved table had hamburgers and sides spread across it. Emily helped Henry while JJ helped Eloise. JJ took Ellie's red flannel overshirt off before letting her eat. She got each kid a juice box before getting food for herself.

Ben slept through lunch and a little after. Since he was a heavy sleeper, Lola had left the door open so they could hear when he woke up. Emily picked him up and swept his long hair away from his forehead before she kissed the soft skin. "Are you hungry, sweet boy?" She asked sweetly as she checked him. She checked his diaper and was hit with a foul smell, "Whoo, I'm still not used to that." She changed his diaper and clothes before she made him a bottle. He's been trying to hold it himself, but still gets a little wobbly when he does it all by himself. She helped him hold it as she made her way to the living room. She sat on the only free spot, between Daniel and JJ. Daniel leant over and made eye contact with the baby.

"Hey, Benjamin." He smiled brightly. "Can I feed him, Emily?"

Emily sat up some to hand him off, "Sure. Just keep the burp rag under his chin because he's already in his picture outfit and he eats messy."

Once the baby was secured with Daniel, she sat back and crossed her legs while resting an arm around JJ's shoulder. The blond instinctively leant into the touch as she chatted with Angie about something.

After Ben finished eating, Emily burped him after laughing at Daniels soft attempts. Lola came into the room with them, "Are you guys ready? It's almost 1:30 and it takes thirty minutes to hike up there, probably more with all the kids. We'll lose light soon. Come on." She said hurriedly.

"Okay, come on. We're all ready." Emily said. JJ reached for the chest carrier for Ben, "Baby, let me carry him. You hurt yourself today and I don't want you to stress a minor injury into a major one."

JJ rolled her eyes, "Em, it's like ten extra pounds."

"Humor me?" Emily's pleading eyes melted JJ.

"Fine. Hurry up." JJ relented the carrier.

Once Emily had Benny strapped to her, the group left, led by Lola and Brooke. Emily put a hat on Ben to keep him warm and covered him with a blanket. She would peek under it every so often to check on him. Each time his grey eyes looked back to hers. They broke into the clearing. Lola stopped at the front and studied the area and looked up to the sky. She led the group around the rounded edge of the clearing and set up her camera's tripod.

She helped everyone get on the boulder formation. Then, she went back to her camera and played with settings until she got the desired effect. "Okay, Brooke, can you put Bryson on your back?" Lola waited for them to do so. "Okay, Bryson, can you put your head on the side closer to Addie? Cool. Henry can you get closer to Addie and put your arm around Ellie? Okay, great job. Mom, give me Benny." She grabbed the baby from Emily. Lola waited a sec to let him adjust to the light he was now exposed to. She carefully climbed the boulder with him. The Jareau's were standing on a lower boulder while the Prentiss's sat on a higher one. Lola sat beside Ellie and positioned Benjamin between them. She pulled out a remote trigger for her high-tech camera and instructed everyone to smile. She hit the trigger and told everyone not to move, "Mom! Tell me how it looks!" She called.

Emily covered the screen and looked at the display. "It looks good! But maybe you could do a bunch in a row? Benny doesn't understand when to smile!" The brunette called.

"Okay! Alright, smile again and hold position." Lola instructed. She took multiple in a row, she tickled Benjamin under his neck, causing a giggle and a couple great photos of him laughing.

"Perfect!" JJ said after she checked again.

The group got down. Lola stopped them from leaving, "Hold on, I want to do one of just the boys. That way you have a full family and a girl and a boy." Lola said.

She led the boys back to the boulder and fought with the breeze to keep Henry's hair out of his face. She arranged them in descending order. Henry was 7 so he was placed in the back, then Bryson in front of him and a little to the left of him, then Lola carefully helped Bryson hold Benjamin on his left leg. She showed Bryson were to tickle the baby when she got behind the camera. She gave the count down, Bryson tickling Ben at just the right time, and took a beautiful shot.

Angie watched Lola have a vision and execute it perfectly. She leant over to Emily, "She has quite the eye, doesn't she?" She asked smiling.

"You have no idea." Emily chuckled, "She did a project for school of all polaroids that is just so beautiful it belongs in a museum. She's amazing. We encourage her to pursue any dream she wants. She's never had that type of encouragement before, so we work really hard with her to follow whatever dreams she has."

"You guys are doing something really amazing; you know that?" The sandy blond asked Emily.

"Thank you." Emily told Angie. "But I think my kids are more amazing."

Before they could continue, Lola was walking the boys back to the group. "I think I got all we need. If you don't like any we can always come back tomorrow."

Emily took Benny from her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "I'm sure they're perfect." She kissed Lola's cheek. "Let's go back before we lose light and end up staying in the woods all night." She only half joked. Dusk would be setting in by the time they got back.

The group made it back to the cabin before they lost all the fall day's light. Sandy and Angie went to start dinner while the rest tried to figure what to do to entertain themselves. Emily sat with JJ.

"So, we're going hunting tomorrow." JJ informed Emily. "We'll be gone all day," The blond knew her nieces were going and turned to invite Lola, "You wanna go?"

"And watch you murder an animal? No thanks, I can eat meat, but the thought of watching it die makes me sick to my stomach." She laughed nervously, worried she would offend someone, "Thank you for the offer."

Emily laughed, "I am right there with you." Emily turned back to JJ, "You know, this place is pretty awesome, I was thinking maybe we can get a place similar, like a lake house in the middle of nowhere. We can go there to disconnect whenever we want. Plus, I think it'll be nice to have a more domestic vacation house."

"That sounds really awesome. We can teach the kids to water ski and all that." JJ said, excited.

"I'll start looking when we get home." Emily kissed JJ sweetly.

Sandy came in to announce dinner. The family gladly went to eat. Ben didn't like being away from all the action so Emily ended up eating with him in her arms. Emily didn't mind. Life was good. She was surrounded by love for her and her children and that's all she could have asked for.


	30. Chapter 30

JJ got up with Ben for his 3:30 feeding. That worked out well for her because by the time she finished, she had to make sure everything was ready for their hunting trip. She met her brother, father, and nieces in the den of the cabin. They talked quietly as they drank coffee and made sure they had everything. They would take three of the four ATV's. Daniel's four-wheelers were large, designed for this type of excursion. They loaded most of the gear and guns on Daniel's because Chris and JJ would both have a girl on the back of theirs. They packed food, survival gear, camping stuff incase they decided to hold up somewhere for the night, and obviously the guns. JJ helped Addie secure her helmet before the preteen hopped on the machine behind JJ. Dawn was just peeking through the trees of the forest that surrounded them, so they turned on the lights for the ATV's before they set off. JJ was entirely grateful for Emily's choice of cabins. She found one on a large property so they could hunt privately. It was complete with off-road trails, hiking trails, and even hunting blinds. She loved watching the sun rise over the forest as they made their way through the trails.

Emily was the first up. Ben got up when he usually did. She put together his bouncer after she changed him. The one at home wasn't collapsible, so she bought this cheaper one for the trip. It popped together quickly, and she put it on the kitchen counter before setting him in it. There was a bar above it that had different toys for him to keep busy. She set about making breakfast. She rummaged through the food the Jareau's brought. She pulled out everything she needed for crepes. If she used something that was saved for later, she would run into town and replace it. She was just finishing the last of the batter when she heard soft footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Angie. The sandy blond woman was stretching as she made her way into the kitchen.

Emily smiled softly when they locked eyes, "I made coffee." She offered kindly.

Angie smiled and nodded her head. After her first sip of coffee she moaned, "Thank you. You are a godsend. Jennifer is so lucky." Emily chuckled and Angie played with Ben's feet, "What are you making?"

"Crepes." Emily answered casually.

"Crepes? You just know the recipe for them off the top of your head? Every time I try to make them, they end up too thick, so we just have pancakes." She laughed.

Emily chuckled, "You don't live in France for a few years without picking the recipe up."

Angie and Emily chatted while the brunette finished cooking. Sandy was the next out, "What are you two doing?"

"Emily's making crepes!" Angie said excitedly.

"If I used anything you'll need later, I can go to town and replace it. I just thought since I was up with Benny so early that I might as well be productive." Emily shrugged.

Sandy scooped Ben out of his bouncer, "I'm sure we'll be fine. Thank you for cooking."

"You're welcome." Their conversation was cut off as they heard loud giggling and heavy footsteps come down the creaky wood stairs. "Well, the kids are awake." The eldest of the group announced.

Bryson was the first to appear, followed by Ellie and Henry. "What are you making, Aunt Emily?"

"Crepes." She smiled. Henry and Ellie's eyes lit up. They only got crepes when JJ was gone because Emily let them put so many sweets on their breakfast. "What's the rule?" The brunette asked. Sure, they were on vacation, but that didn't mean the rules flew out the window.

Henry's shoulder slumped forward, "At least one Momma sized handful of fruit, and bacon if you made it."

Emily ruffled his hair, "Good boy. Come on, let's get you guys breakfast."

Emily helped Henry, Angie helped Bryson, and Sandy secured Ben in his bouncer in time to help Ellie. Sandy looked to Emily, "Did Lola change her mind and join them?" She asked referencing the group out hunting.

Emily shook her head, "No. She just likes to sleep as long as possible. She usually doesn't get much time to sleep past the other kids because our house is always so loud."

Angie and Sandy laughed, "When Chris and JJ both left, Daniel and I were actually uncomfortable in the silence. You get used to it quickly though."

"Oh, speak of the devil." Angie muttered to Emily as Lola appeared with her usual scowl.

The teen made her way through the kitchen, perking up as she made her breakfast. She pulled out a glass and went to the fridge, "Grandma, did you get orange juice?"

Sandy rested her face in her hands, "I knew I forgot something at the store! Emily even told me you always had it with breakfast, I'm sorry sweety."

Lola shook her head and smiled softly, "It's okay. I can go a week without it. It won't kill me."

"Oh, so this is fine, but no WiFi is where you draw the line?" Emily teased.

"Oh, shut up." Lola laughed.

They group ate breakfast and talked about their lives. "So," Angie started, "Any plans for today?"

Emily sighed, "I haven't thought of anything. I don't know anything we can do."

"Well, I have to get some stuff done prep for Thursday, stuff like that." Sandy interjected.

"Oh, we saw a huge natural museum on the way here. It looked pretty big, you and I can take the kids?" Angie offered.

"That sounds fun. I think we can all fit in my car."

"Okay! Let's get the kids ready!"

Emily and Angie got everyone dressed and led them out to the Volvo. Angie grabbed Bryson's booster seat from her car and put it in the very back by Henry's. Emily got Ellie and Ben in their seats in the middle row. Lola helped Henry and Bryson get buckled in the very back. Emily made sure she had everything she needed in the diaper and let Angie direct her. They found the small town easily. "Oh, this is cute." Emily said as she looked at the town's small main street.

"Yeah, it has real old-timey vibes." Angela remarked, earning a laugh from Emily.

They found the museum easily. Angie was right, it was huge. It was the biggest brick building in the town. Based on the parking lot, it was a popular place too. Emily got the body carrier for Ben and hand him strapped in quickly. She unbuckled Ellie's hand and grabbed her hand before the little girl could run off. Lola offered to carry the diaper bag.

The group had a great time. After they finished at the museum, they grabbed some lunch before they left for the cabin. When they got back, they were surprised to see the hunting group was back by sundown.

"You guys are home early." Angie said before greeting her husband and daughters.

"Yeah, we took down a buck early on in the trip. Dad has finished getting it ready for a butcher." JJ said.

The blond tried to step towards Emily and greet her family, but the brunette put a hand out to stop her. "You don't get to hug any of us until you shower off all the mud, blood and whatever the hell that is." She gestured to a suspicious stain on her pants.

JJ pouted, "That's not fair! I missed you!"

Emily laughed, "No you didn't. Go shower."

JJ pecked her wife's cheek, careful not to get any blood or mud on her wife's designer blouse.

Daniel set about grilling dinner early on in the evening. After dinner, the sun was fully set and the Jareau's decided to start a bonfire. The family drank and made smores around the fire as some music played on the radio. Emily sat with Ben in a patio chair around the fire. The baby started to fuss, and Emily knew he was tired and hungry.

"Alright, I think I have to go in for the night." The brunette stood as she spoke.

"Aww, Aunt Emily. Why can't you come back out?" Addie asked. Early on the middle Jareau child took a liking to Emily and her stories from around the world.

"Because Aunt Emily forgot to pack the brand-new baby monitor" JJ teased, slurring her words slightly.

"Oh, well that's no problem then." Chris said. Emily watched as he fished something out of the backpack he had taken when they left that morning. He pulled out a pair of walkie talkies. He pulled the ponytail out of Brooke's blond hair.

"Hey!" The teen yelled, surprised by the sudden action.

"Oh hush." Chris replied and Brooke pouted.

He held the button down on one of the radio's before wrapping the ponytail around the button. He flicked on the other and the group could hear the feedback.

"Innovative." Emily deadpanned as she grabbed the walkie with the hand not currently holding her son.

Emily made her way through the house. She made a bottle before heading up to her room. Emily set the walkie of the dresser of the room. She sat on the edge of the bed as she rocked and fed Ben. The brunette began to sing to him, as she usually did, not thinking of the walkie. With the bottle fed, and the baby in his crib, she closed the door behind her as she left. She made it to the living room when she saw JJ, Daniel, and Chris carrying kids that slept on their chests.

"What happened?" Emily whispered.

"You sang Ben his lullaby and we all heard through the walkie. It knocked these three out." Daniel smiled.

Emily shrugged and stepped aside so the group could reach the stairs. She grabbed another beer and went out to the fire that was still burning strong. Angela chuckled when she saw Emily. "That was some song, you started and all three of them started to get droopy eyelids."

Emily felt the blush creep up her face, "I forgot about the walkie talkie." She admitted.

"Eh, it's okay. Saves me time." Angela responded, "What song was that anyway? It wasn't in English."

"It's called _Ninna Nanna a Sette a Venti_. It's Italian. Literally translated it means 'Lullaby at Twenty Past Seven. It basically is just a 'sleep well' song." Emily responded, taking a sip from the bottle she held.

"How many languages do you speak?" Angela asked, baffled.

"Seven, but my Russian is a little rusty." She responded.

"She's started swearing in other languages because Ellie said, 'oh shit' at preschool." Lola laughed.

Sandy shot Emily a glare, who shot one at the nark, "Did you have to say that around Sandy?!" The brunette asked her daughter.

Lola laughed again, "Sorry." She shrugged.

The Jareau's came back out each with two cans of beer, Emily shot her wife a look, JJ responded to her silent question, "We're going to shotgun them. All the adults, we're having a contest." She tossed the can to her wife, who caught it easily.

The Sandy and Angie stood and accepted the drink from their spouses. The each found something to puncture their can.

Brooke stood to watch, "Ok, on the count of three," The teen called before counting them off.

Each one started their shotgun, to everyone's surprise, Socialite Emily was the first to finish. "Ha!" She gloated. Then she felt the turning in her stomach and ran to the shrubbery around the driveway to throw it back up.

JJ laughed, "What? Are you a light weight?" The blond teased her wife.

Emily held up her middle finger and wiped her mouth with her other hand, "_**Fuck off, asshole**_." She said in Italian.

"_**Make me**_." JJ surprised Emily in the same language.

"When did you learn Italian?" The brunette asked, surprised.

"Sophia and Gabbie have been teaching me so I can listen to their fights." The blond shrugged.

"Well, not bad." Emily started, "_**Maybe I will take you up on the offer to make you**_." Emily finished in a sultry tone.

"Ew." Lola called from across the flames, "I don't even have to know Italian to know what that was about." The teen made a fake gagging motion that made her mom's laugh.

Emily ignored the teen to lead JJ back inside, "Turn off the walkie!" Chris called from further away.

"No way!" Emily called back, "Ben is sleeping with you tonight! You need to be able to hear him."

The pair disappeared into the house, leaving no room for discussion.

After Emily followed through and put the baby in Chris and Angie's room, she met her wife back in their room. She wasted no time pushing her wife against the bedroom door. The blonde's body landed with a dull thud. JJ pulled Emily by her neck into a heated kiss.

"We have to be quiet." JJ husked.

"What, you don't want your family to hear you scream my name?" Emily teased back, running kisses down to JJ's chest as she spoke, earning a breathy whine from JJ.

"I-I, ugh. Fuck." JJ was cut off as by Emily's warm mouth wrapping around her nipple after the brunette roughly pulled her shirt and bra down to expose it. "I don't want to wake any kids up."

"Then bite your tongue." Emily answered before latching her mouth around her wife's other nipple and using her hands to take JJ's pants and underwear off.

Emily relinquished the rosy bud to kiss JJ. She turned them and walked them to the bed. Emily positioned herself between her wife's long legs. She put her hand under the blonde's knees and spread her legs, exposing her pussy to her. Emily could smell her wife and wasted no time tasting it. JJ arched into Emily's mouth and wrapped her lose black hair in her hand, holding her in position over her clit. Emily brought a finger up to tease her wet entrance.

"Emily." JJ whined.

"Hmmm?" The brunette hummed against her wife's swollen bud, causing the younger woman to buck further into her mouth.

"Fuck." JJ said in a breathy whisper. "Will you just fuck me already?" she asked, frustrated from the teasing. JJ moaned loud when Emily suddenly inserted three fingers to the hilt. JJ squirmed against her wife as she held her hand completely still. JJ smacked Emily's shoulder, "Move move move." She ordered, and sighed when Emily finally started a steady pace, "God dammit Emily." Emily kept her steady pace with both her mouth and hand, getting JJ right to the edge but not over it. "Emily. Please. I need it. Faster baby. Harder." The blonde begged.

Emily increased the speed and pressure with her hand, while sucking lightly with her mouth. JJ's legs began to shake before the blonde's legs clamped around Emily's head and her pussy clamped around her long fingers as she came silently.

Emily helped her ride it out before kissing her way back up the blonde's body, ending in a heated kiss between them.

During their kiss, JJ used her impressive strength to flip them. She quickly helped Emily strip. The blond straddled her wife and ran a hand between them. While Emily teased relentlessly, JJ wasted no penetrating her wife with two fingers. Emily cried out below her. JJ used her thumb to rub tight circles over her wife's clit. JJ used her own body to add pressure to her hand, increasing the intensity of each thrust. Emily found herself close to the edge already, but when JJ leant down and wrapped her mouth around Emily's nipple, biting it lightly as she sucked. Emily tried to scream through her climax but was muted by JJ's hot kiss. The brunette wrapped her arms around her wife and held her close. The laid like that for a minute while Emily caught her breath.

"I love you." Emily whispered.

"I love you too." JJ moved off Emily and cuddle into her as they fell asleep.


	31. Chapter 31

Thursday, Emily and JJ both got up with Benjamin. When they made their way downstairs, they were happy to see Sandy already hard at work in the kitchen.

"Hey mom." JJ surprised her mother, who whipped around, broken out of her trance.

The older woman smiled, "That baby really is on a strict schedule, isn't he?"

"Yep. 7 am every morning." Emily confirmed.

"Mmm, are you making cinnamon rolls?" JJ asked as she smelled the room.

"Yep, I was hoping I could have them done before everyone woke up, but my grandson had other plans." She teased, tickling the baby in JJ's arms, "Now get your coffee and get out. I'm almost done."

The couple laughed, but followed orders, as they made their way into the den, JJ ran her hand over the piano. "Will you play for me?" She asked sweetly.

"Of course, what do you want?"

"Anything." The blond smiled, "As long as you sing to me too."

Emily sat at the piano and began playing softly. Every time she sang to JJ, the blond fell more impossibly in love. After the short interlude, Emily's soft and rich voice rang through the room.

"_I stripped it down for your naked eyes  
So you could understand and let me inside  
So I hope you through the rising tide  
That I'll be here and you can lay by my side  
Oh, oh, oh  
You can rely on me, you know  
Oh, oh, oh  
When this town is locked and closed  
You can_

_Lay by me, I still care  
When you need, lay by me  
Lay by me, if you're here  
You can still lay by me_

_Hey-oh-yeah  
Oh-oh-oh-oh, eh-oh-oh-oh_

_I know the places you go to hide  
I've been in all those rooms, I know what that's like  
Staring at paint as you watch it dry  
But don't forget your room is right next to mine_

_And you can lay by me  
If that is something you would need, yeah  
Lay by me, if you need  
You can_

_Lay by me, I still care  
When you need, lay by me  
Lay by me, if you're here  
You can still lay by me  
Lay by me, I still care  
When you need, lay by me  
Lay by me, if you're here  
You can still lay by me_

_Hey-oh-yeah  
Oh-oh-oh-oh, eh-oh-oh-oh  
Hey-oh _

_Lay by me, I still care  
When you need, lay by me  
Lay by me, if you're here  
You can still lay by me_"

When Emily finished, Sandy was in the room watching, and JJ could see her brother and his wife peaking out of their room too. Emily also noticed the new pairs of eyes and blushed, embarrassed.

JJ kissed Emily's lips. "Don't be embarrassed. You were wonderful. They should be honored." The blond whispered to Emily. She stood and addressed her family, "She's amazing, isn't she?"

Chris whistled before Angie smacked his peck. "Beautiful Emily." Angela confirmed.

The heard the stampede of kids on the hardwood, Ellie and Henry were the first down the stairs. "Did we miss Momma sing?" Henry asked a little disappointed.

"Yeah, do you want another?" Emily asked.

"Yes! Sing me Fireflies!" Henry yelled.

Emily laughed but began to play the version she learned especially for her son's favorite song. By the time she was finished, the younger kids were dancing and trying to sing along while Brooke and Lola sat at the top of the stairs watching and giggling. When Emily finished, she earned a round of applause from the family. She spotted Lola and smiled, "Hey! Get down here. We should work on your music."

Lola groaned, "One song. I need to work on my solo part." She stood to get her music from her bag.

"You have a solo?" JJ asked.

"Are you surprised?" Emily countered, "She's amazing!"

"No I'm not surprised, I just would have liked to know." JJ defended.

"It's for our Christmas concert. Me and Aaliyah are doing a duet for our spring competition. We may need help practicing later." Lola informed before disappearing to get the sheet music.

She came back and handed the piece for Emily to read quickly. It was an arrangement of Mary did you Know? One of Emily's favorite Christmas songs. She also noticed Lola didn't just have a small solo part, she would be singing all the lyrics while the rest of the choir sang harmonies.

Emily didn't mention the 'solo', instead she looked to the teen, "Ready?"

"Whenever you are." Lola smiled back.

Emily played the piano part while Lola looked over her shoulder to read the piece as well.

Sandy leaned towards her daughter, "This is one of my favorites." She whispered.

"I know."

They watched quietly as Lola sang the melodic piece. When she belted out the last note, Lola got a faint blush as the room also clapped for her. Emily picked the papers up and looked to Lola, "Beautiful as always. Right here you sang the chorus like the first time, but the melody changes. Be careful you watch that. Also, pay close attention to the dynamic marks. You missed the pianissimo mark, so your crescendo wasn't as exaggerated. Other than that, perfect."

Lola smiled, she always like getting the helpful tips from Emily, "Okay. Thanks." She took the music and went back to tuck it away.

"Well," Sandy said to the group, "Now that the wonderful show is over, breakfast is ready!"

The kids quickly raced to the kitchen, followed closely by hungry adults. After breakfast, everyone but Sandy, JJ and Angie were allowed in the kitchen. The others were forced to find something to do. They ended up going outside and playing games. They settled on a football game. There was plenty of open space surround the cabin for a mock field. Emily left Ben inside with JJ and the group split into teams. Chris, Daniel and Henry were on one team while Emily, Lola and Bryson were on the other. Ellie was happy to sit and watch.

They had been playing for almost and hour and Emily's team was winning. She was using Lola's athleticism to their advantage. She was also using Bryson against Chris easily. It was nearing the end of the game and Emily's team had the ball. Emily, as expected, threw the ball to Lola. As Chris was running to tag the teen out, Bryson slid into his spot and tripped his dad. The boy started to cry, making his dad stop to tend to him. As Lola ran into their makeshift endzone, Bryson wiped away his fake tears and hopped off the ground cheering.

As the group celebrated, Chris came up to Emily, "That was a low blow using my boy as a pawn against me." He said good-naturedly.

"All's fair in love, war, and football." Emily winked at him before heading inside.

"Who won?" JJ asked from the kitchen.

"Your lovely and amazing wife." Emily gloated as she wrapped her arms around her wife. She reached a hand out and stole a piece of what JJ was preparing. She shoved it in her mouth and made her get away. Only getting smacked by JJ once.

"Get the kids in their dinner outfits!" JJ called to Emily's retreating form.

Emily followed orders. Lola got ready in a cute sweater dress. She did her hair neatly and added some makeup Penelope helped her pick out. Emily got Henry ready next, purposely saving Ellie for last knowing she would be whiney about having to dress nice for a dinner. Henry was put in an outfit that had a cute little bowtie and a sweater vest that had little turkeys on it. Emily brushed his hair to one side and lifted the front into a wave formation. She changed Ben quickly into a little jumper that was fall themed and topped it off with a matching hat to cover his usually wild hair. Emily found Ellie into her dress. It was mostly pink but had a large owl on it and pockets, something she was weirdly excited about. Emily struggled with wiggly legs to get on tights, and shoes that matched. She greeted her family, handing off the baby to Daniel who had also changed into more semi-formal clothes. She looked around and saw everyone who wasn't cooking had as well. She went up and changed into her own outfit. She wore a long-sleeved dress that fell to the floor. It was simple, had all neutral colors, but beautiful. She slipped into some cream-colored flats and quickly did her hair and makeup.

She met the group back in the den. Daniel turned to her, "You couldn't have opted for the cabin with cable for the game?"

Emily tried to suppress her smile, "Oh, why didn't you just ask earlier?"

She stood off the comfortable couch and opened a hidden compartment in the wood paneling of the rustic cabin. Once it popped open, she pulled out the remote and pressed a button. Dan and Chris watched as a large TV appeared through a spot in the wall. Other parts of the wall started to move, revealing a large entertainment center complete with an impressive collection of movies.

"Why are we just finding out about this?" Chris nearly yelled.

"You didn't ask." Emily shrugged.

"I thought this place didn't have internet?" Lola accused.

"I doesn't. But it does have satellite TV." Emily said as she found the Raiders Cowboys game and turned it on. The room lit up with the bright LED screen of the TV. She laughed as she handed the remote to Chris and walked to the kitchen.

JJ smirked at her wife, "Did they like the surprise?"

"They are absolutely slack-jawed." Emily finished her statement by kissing her wife sweetly.

Emily grabbed the bouncer with Ben in it and took it to the living room with her. She ectracted the baby and Emily laughed as his eyes followed the bright screen.

They made it most of the way through the game when Sandy yelled that dinner was ready.

Everyone crowded into the kitchen, hungry from not eating anything but breakfast, "Okay, prayers and thanks first." Sandy instructed.

The group joined hands and Daniel gave a quick prayer. Then they went around the group, each having to say what they were thankful for.

Daniel started, "I'm thankful for the wonderful families and lives my children have made for themselves."

Then Sandy, "I'm grateful for my grandchildren, and the joy they each contribute to this family."

Angela, "My husband, and his family who have loved me like their own. Also, for Emily's money." She joked, throwing a wink to Emily.

Chris was next, "I'm grateful for football, family, and hunting."

JJ was next to him, "My wife. My family. My children, and for all the good things each one have given me in my life."

Henry was beside her, "Mommy, Momma, and Daddy. And that I finally got a brother." The group chuckled at his last thanks.

Ellie was next to him, "I love candy, and pie, and Henry."

Brooke, "I'm thankful for free learning and all the love."

Addie was next, "I love all of you, and I love being a girl. Boys are gross." The group laughed again.

Bryson went, "I'm thankful for the tooth fairy and red meat." He finished with a big toothless smile.

Lola was next, "I'm thankful for all the love I have gotten since I joined this family. I'm thankful for my renewed passion for the arts, music, photography. I'm so glad Jennifer got me into soccer again, but mostly I'm grateful for Emily. She saved me."

Emily was standing next to Lola, nearly in tears, "I'm grateful for my children. They have opened my eyes to the love of all different kinds of families and I can never be thankful enough. I'm also incredibly thankful for my wife and her family. I can't express the never-ending love I have for her, but I will always be grateful to be privileged enough to feel it."

Chris groaned, "Are you done with the sappiness? I'm hungry." Angela smacked him in the chest with the back of her hand.

"Well, let's eat then!" Sandy called, "Kids first!"

Everyone got the kids food and sat down at the table before loading their own plates. They stuffed their stomachs with all the delicious foods they could, and simply enjoyed each other.

After dinner, while the women cleaned up, the girls of the family took over the Den's entertainment system. Emily and JJ walked out together, "What are you girls watching?" JJ asked as her and Emily found a place to sit.

Lola turned to her, holding Benjamin in her lap, "Princess Diaries 2."

"Oooh, cool. I've only seen the first one." Emily said as they settled into watch.

"Why would you even need to watch that?" Brooke asked.

Without hesitation, Lola, JJ and Emily answered in unison, "Penelope Garcia." They laughed before explaining their flamboyant friend to Brooke.

Emily watched the scene where Princess Mia had a sleepover for all the princesses and orphanage girls. Emily suddenly remembered something she should have dealt with.

She jumped off the couch, "Shit!"

JJ sat forward at her sudden outburst, "What's wrong?"

"I forgot I had to plan a Christmas charity ball for the company. I can't believe I forgot. That's like the one big thing I had to do this whole year! I was supposed to meet with Sophie and Gabbie about my plan for the whole thing on Monday!" Emily said frantically.

"How are you just now thinking of that?" JJ asked.

"The stupid movie reminded me! I picked Together We Rise as the main charity for this year! It helps the foster care system. I can't believe I fucked this up."

"Okay, well get a notepad and plan it out for Monday. It'll be okay. Calm down." JJ reassured.

Emily nodded and disappeared to grab a notepad. She came back out and sat with JJ before scribbling ideas on the notepad. She finally figured out what to do, she wrote all her ideas down and put the notepad bag in her bag before putting Benjamin down for bed, the rest of the group heading to bed soon after.

The rest of the week went by in a flash. Everyone was reluctant to go as they all hugged goodbye Sunday morning. Emily did one more check of the house, making sure everything was cleaned out and that no one had left anything. When she was satisfied, she got her family on the road, stopping by the owner's cabin and dropping the keys off as she left.

As soon as she got home, she had to sneak off to the office to put together a more appropriate presentation for her cousins and the company's investors. She didn't get to bed until 11:30 that night and hoped she could drop Benjamin off with her parents the next day before her meeting.

If all went well, her event would be one for the history books.


	32. Chapter 32

"Well, my parents went out of down for three weeks." Emily huffed, "All because Gabbie and Sophia won't pick a fucking apartment." JJ and Emily were getting ready Monday morning.

"Do you want me to stay home? I have enough PTO." JJ offered.

The brunette sighed as she slipped into a pair of heels, "No, it's okay. I can take Ben with me. But can you just drop Ellie and Henry off? I can drop Lola on my way."

JJ kissed her wife and pulled back with a sweet smile on her face, "Of course. Although, you do know our apartment unit is open and Gabbie must be close to her due date." The blond quirked an eyebrow.

Emily groaned, "Ugh. I know that, but I don't know if they'll wanna be so close. Or if I want them that close."

JJ pulled on her blazer and threw one to Emily, "Think about it, okay? They're family. Sure, they yell a lot, but the walls are thick and the only person who would have to deal with it would be Lola." She joked.

"Fine. I'll think on it." Emily kissed JJ, "I have to go. I love you!" Emily rushed out of the room barely grabbing her bag with her laptop and other essentials.

She grabbed Benjamin's car seat, the baby already situated inside and kissed Ellie and Henry goodbye. She looked to Lola, "Ready to go?"

"Yep! Let's go." The teen grabbed her backpack and got in the front seat of Emily's Audi.

Emily arrived at Sophia and Gabbie's office thirty minutes after she left. She grabbed her bag, the diaper bag, and Benjamin before rushing inside. She met her cousin in their office.

"You're early Emily." Sophia announced but smiled as they greeted each other.

"Where's Gabbie?" Emily asked, setting her stuff down in the office.

"Bathroom."

"How's she doing? She's getting really close to her due date." Emily said, sitting down and releasing Ben from his carrier.

"She is impossibly grumpy. We still haven't found a place so all the baby stuff we have is cluttering your poor parents' house. She yells all the time, and you know me, I don't take that well, so I yell back. It's good your parents got away."

"Yeah, they've never had a loud house. Always quietly brooding. Is Gabbie still not finding out the sex? Does she even have a name picked out?" Emily asked, giving Ben his pacifier.

"No to both. She thinks once she sees the baby, she'll instantly know. It's so st- Oh! She's coming." Sophia cut off herself.

Gabbie came in and smiled at Emily, "You're early."

Emily rolled her eyes, "I know, but I wanted to get with you guys before the presentation." Gabbie sat carefully on the couch beside Emily, gesturing for Benjamin to come to her. Emily passed off the baby before continuing, "But, I wanted to talk to you guys about something else first." Both women gave her their full attention, indicating for her to continue, "Me and Jennifer have been talking, and I know you guys are struggling to find a place with less than two months before the baby. So, we want to offer the apartment connected to our house."

"Yes!" Gabbie answered immediately.

"Don't you want to think about it?" Sophia asked.

"No. I haven't liked any so far because the ones I really like don't have the security I want and the ones with the security I want aren't right for us. I am scared every day and Emily's property is already really secure. Guarded neighborhood and her own property." Gabbie turned her attention to Emily, "We'll take it. We'll pay rent. It already has three rooms, right?"

"Yeah, three rooms, two bathrooms. Full apartment, kitchen, living room, everything. It has a private entrance on the side of the house and a stairwell that leads to the kitchen." Emily answered.

"Perfect, that way if we get too fed up with each other, one of us can sneak away to your house. Plus, the baby cousins can play together, no? And it makes me feel better to have you around to help with anything." Gabbie rambled on like she was trying to convince Emily.

"Okay, move in whenever you want." Emily declared, "Just let me know."

"Okay. We will pay 1200 dollars. First month's rent and deposit. So, 2400?" Gabbie quoted.

"Gabbie, you don't have to pay me." Emily said.

"Emily, please? It will make me feel like I am not, how do you say, mooching?" Gabbie winked.

"Fine." Emily conceded, "Let's go through the presentation."

Emily pulled out her laptop and presented her idea to them. Sophia was the first to talk, "That is a wonderful idea, Emmy! With the right media presence, people from all over will be begging to come."

Gabbie looked at her watch, "The investors and the benefactors should be here soon. Let's go set up the conference room."

Emily stood before a group of suits. She had a pointer to the presentation in one hand, and Benny was being held in the other. "This is my son Benjamin. He's adopted through the foster care system. While I have been blessed for three beautiful children with the system, over 500,000 kids aren't as lucky. The system is overworked and underfunded. This annual charity ball picks one organization to feature as its benefactor. This year, I have chosen one that helps a cause I believe in. Together We Rise is a non-profit organization dedicated to easing some of the struggles of the foster system. This ball will be a little different. We will open up the ball to all foster kids and their families. This event will be very child oriented. We will work with former foster kids who have been affected positively by Together We Rise. Food services, clothing stores, party activities, essentials like that. To stick with tradition, the event will be black tie. Any foster families who RSVP will be scheduled to come in the week before to get fitted for outfits. A lot of these kids are underprivileged and, frankly, sad. If we give them this huge event for them, it will greatly increase the image of the system, and anyone who supports such a noble cause. If you look to the back of the room, you'll see Sarah Daye. She is solely responsible for the beautiful family I have. She and I will work with Together We Rise and children and family services to ensure this is a successful event. Mark my words, if you are not on board, this will be a lost publicity opportunity for your company to the entire country." Emily quickly finished her presentation.

She earned a large round of applause. "I think it is safe to assume that all of us are behind this cause, this ball, and this opportunity. How do we start?" A pompous looking man asked.

Emily looked to Sophia. Emily took her seat when her cousin stood to address the question. Emily smiled at Sarah, who came over and reached for Henry, who was happily looking around the room. "This is amazing, Emily." Sarah remarked.

"Thank you. It wouldn't be possible without your support."

Emily stopped talking to pay attention to Sophia, "Our first step is reserving a spot large enough for this. That's easy. DC is a big place. Then we send out invitations to donors and families. Then we blast the local and national media with this news. From there, social media and online newspapers will take off with this. There is no losing with the media for this one. Foster care takes kids away from bad parents, anyone who can't agree with an event like this won't speak out on that because of how it would make them look. There are two things America agrees on: Cute animals and protecting children. Once the media catches on, this will snowball and soon people with status will be begging to come. We will feature other non-profit organizations, but this will be our bread and butter." Sophia finished.

The meeting went by slowly, analyzing every aspect of what needed to happen. It was going to be held Christmas Eve. Each foster kids who attended would be receiving a gift upon exit, that would be in conjunction with Toys for Tots, another non-profit that helps underprivileged families through the Christmas season by offer free toys. It was nearly time to pick up the kids by the time they had hashed everything out.

Emily went with her cousins to their office to gather her things. "Wonderful job Emily." Gabbie congratulated, "I will have a moving truck there by Thursday. We don't have much with us, but it will be easier to have someone else do it. We will meet with you on any developments for the ball then. See you Thursday." Emily hugged both her cousins before heading to Ellie and Henry's school quickly.

After the kids were asleep, Emily told JJ of her plans. JJ was over the moon. Emily also pulled a few strings to have the BAU run security for the event. She mostly did it to ensure her wife would be there to attend.

Thursday rolled around, and as she was told, a moving truck arrived shortly after 10:00 a.m., followed closely by Gabbie and Sophia. Emily gave them the separate keys to the apartment and Gabbie handed her an envelope of cash. She planned to use the money for everyday expenditures for Lola. Once they had all their current stuff in the apartment, a truck from a local furniture store came. It had a lot of baby items, basic living furniture, and bedroom sets. Emily helped direct the movers.

"Okay, they say that's it. You can use the household laundry if you want and pretty much can come down whenever. I'm sure my kids will come up whenever." Emily joked, "But I'll let you guys settle in and unpack. Let me know if you need any help with that."

Gabbie looked at all the stuff cluttered in the living room. "We already do. Will you help?"

Emily nodded, "Of course. Let me just go grab Ben from Melissa and I'll be right back."

Emily came back and set the baby and his bouncer down on the only free spot on the kitchen island. They got done before Jen came home. Thankfully, Graiden agreed to pick up the kids from school and they were running between the apartment and the house. Lola helped arrange things. They family ate a big dinner together before watching a family movie together. When the kids got together, Emily met with her cousins about the upcoming event.

"So, we think we have the perfect spot." Sophia started. "There is a brand-new building that is completely finished, but the project developers ran out of money to furnish it. If we pay them to use the space, which is huge, they can finish the project and we get the perfect spot. It even has a large grass field next to it and we can set up an icy wonderland."

Emily thought about it, "Have you seen it? Will it work?"

"I think it is perfect." Gabbie confirmed. "Trust me, once we get all the seating, stage and play areas set up, it'll look perfect."

"Okay. I trust you. Book it." Emily said, getting up to put her tea mug in the sink. "What's next? Invites?"

Sophia nodded, "Yes. They are ready to be sent. All we have to do is fill out the event details. We already have all the mailing addresses on the envelopes. All we have to do is fill them and send them."

"Perfect. Get that done tomorrow then. We only have 22 days to pull this off." Emily said.

"Is the preemptive schedule I sent good?" Gabbie asked for confirmation.

"Yes. 5:00 p.m. arrival for the kids, 6:00 p.m. for the donors arrivals, kids dinner at 6:30, I'll kissing a couple hands, the kids will be released to play under the watchful eye of the best security team in the world, the kids party ends at 9:00, they collect gifts on the way out, then the adults have a formal dinner at 9:30, there are the speeches, donation collection at 10:30, then mingling to midnight and the event ends. That sounds perfect." Emily recited the schedule from memory to prove she read it.

"Good. Well, we better get to bed. See you tomorrow." Sophia said.

Emily hugged both women before turning off the lights and heading to bed.

Two weeks later, things were right on schedule. Emily was taking her family, and Penelope, to get fitted for their outfits. Henry was getting his first suit, something Lola was documenting for Will. His suit was a light blue with a dark blue button up shirt and a silver bowtie. It also came with dark blue dress shoes. Benjamin was getting a cute half-suit outfit. It had a red onsie that looked like a button up shirt. It came with cream colored pants and gold baby suspenders. Emily also grabbed a pair of light brown shoes that matched well. The girls were all being fitted for their very expensive dresses. Emily was wearing a deep red, spaghetti strapped dress with gold accents and a slit that went up to her mid-thigh. JJ was wearing a silver dress that was floor length and had sleeves that fell to her shoulder and a flared-out collar. It had blue accents and a matching blue ice drop pattern on it. Lola was wearing a dark maroon colored full-length dress, it had maroon lace going up to her neck and wrapping tightly around her arms. JJ almost cried at how beautiful it was, and Emily openly sobbed at seeing her. Ellie wore a long sleeve gold dress that flared out and fell to her knees. It had red flowers sewn into the fabric at the bottom and the flowers crept up to her waist, thinning out the closer they got to the cut-off. Ellie's dress came with a red bow and matching shoes. Emily graciously agreed to pay for Garcia's outfit because the blond wasn't allowed to monitor the security system, so she was going as a guest and to care for the Prentiss kids when they got done. She was tasked with taking them home and putting them to bed. Pen's dress was deep forest green, it had a loose skirt but a tight top that looked like it was wrapped around her. It had a cutout in the middle of her abdomen, and Emily had to admit, it looked like it was made specifically for Penelope. It fit the blonde's figure perfectly.

When everyone was done with their clothes, Emily looked at the group, "Shoes and accessories?" She asked, already know the answer.

They browed around the shop until they all found something. Garcia found a pair of black pumps and a simple diamond necklace/earing set. Lola found a pair of gold flats, she was adamant against heels, a gold ring that went all the way up her finger, and a pair of dangling gold earrings since her dress left no room for a necklace. JJ found a pair of earrings that looked like the ice drops on her dress and a white gold piece that wrapped around her strong bicep. It had sapphire gems in it and Emily could already tell it would accent her eyes perfectly. JJ also picked out some simple white heels. Emily picked out a simple cream-colored hat for Ben. And Ellie begged for a gold charm bracelet. Of course, Emily agreed right away, just grateful it matched her outfit. Emily also found a gold necklace and shawl for her spaghetti strap dress. She had a pair of red heels at home that would go well. Henry didn't want anything but a snack, so he skipped out on the accessories.

They left for some dinner and then home. The next week would be full of prepping for the ball and Christmas shopping. Emily had already arranged with Garcia that when Pen took the kids home and got them asleep, she would set out the 'Santa' gifts for them. The kids were let out for Christmas break, so Emily was trying to do so much all at once. The last Friday of the semester was Lola's choir concert.

"Lola!" JJ called up the stairs, "Are you ready? We're meeting your grandparents before the concert!"

"I'm coming!" She said, appearing at the top of the stairs. The choir had matching dresses and Lola didn't like them very much, "Can you help me? This stupid zipper is stuck!" She groaned in frustration.

JJ reached up and quickly zipped it, "Alright. Let's go."

They met with Edward and Elizabeth in the front of the school, they walked to the auditorium together while Lola went back to the choir room. Elizabeth had taken Benjamin out of his car seat the second she saw him, and Edward was holding Henry's hand and carrying Eloise on his shoulders. Elizabeth looked towards Emily, "You think she's ready?"

Emily sighed, "We've been practicing a lot and she hasn't missed a single mark in the last two weeks, but I don't know how she'll do with the nerves." Lola's choir was the last in the program, so Emily would have to wait to find out.

They sat together, JJ on the edge with Benjamin's car seat situated in the chair next to her so he could see, and she could make a quick get away if he got fussy. They sat through the first three choirs and Ben had fallen asleep during one of them, Ellie wasn't far behind as she leaned against Henry's shoulder. When Lola's choir came out on stage, Ellie sat back up and clapped exaggeratedly. The choir sang four songs before 'Mary Did You Know?'. Most of them were typical jazzy Christmas songs. When they got to the last song, the choir director had a mic brought in and stood to address the audience.

"To end our concert, we have a very special arrangement of my favorite Christmas song." As the director introduced the song, Emily carefully turned on the recording device on her glasses. "This arrangement features a solo vocalist who will sing all the lyrics by herself. Mark my words, this young lady could be the next music star if she sticks to it. With that said, the rest of the choir will be holding out harmonies, when I first heard it all together, I got chills and I hope you experience it as I do. Without further ado, I would like to introduce Lola Prentiss, our vocalist for this evening." She stepped away from the mic while Lola stepped up. The crowd clapped as the teen took her place. When the applause stopped, she looked to her director and nodded slightly. The choir started a harmony of hums that gave Emily chills, soon though, the Prentiss family was torn away from the choir as Lola's crystal-clear voice cut through the crowd. She hit every note and accent in the music perfectly and Emily cried. When the song ended, Emily stood up with her clapping, but soon the whole theater was standing and applauding. Lola bowed slightly on stage before the choir filed off.

The Prentiss's waited eagerly outside the auditorium for Lola to come out of the music hall. As soon as Emily saw her, she ran to her daughter and hugged into a tight hug before lifting her and spinning slightly. Lola laughed as she was let down. Her whole family was beside her quickly and congratulated her on her wonderful performance.

"Let's go out for some hot cocoa and then home to bed." JJ declared before pulling Lola close and whispering to her, "You did so amazing. I am so proud of you."

The family left and had some amazing cocoa at a small shop before everyone went to bed, exhausted. Emily fell asleep humming the song to herself.


	33. Chapter 33

"Well, we did it." Sophia said as she hung up, "I just got word that Ice-T is coming tonight. I told you the media would do its thing."

Penelope, Emily, JJ and their kids were all sitting in a back room of the venue. They were all getting their hair and makeup professionally done for the event. "What, is the whole cast of SVU coming?" Emily asked after Mariska Hargitay, actress and founder of her own non-profit, rsvp'ed.

"No, just the two. Mariska has two adopted children, so it makes sense for her. The internet response we've had from the whole country has been outstanding. Many celebrities that couldn't come have already given large donations to Together We Rise and have encouraged the fans to do so as well. I'm glad our approach worked." Sophia answered.

JJ finished her make up and slipped into her dress. She came back out to her family and frowned, "Why are all of you dressed the same? All I have is Henry to match the blue." She gestured to her dress.

"Baby, the girls picked their own. It's not my fault they love me more." Emily teased, earning a smack from her wife.

Emily looked behind her to see her three oldest kids too involved with their tablets and phone to support her. She checked her phone for the time, and sighed, "Okay guys, put your best smiles on, we have some schmoozing to do."

"Press is already swarming." Sophia smiled.

"Let's get going then." Emily returned.

Emily tucked Ben into a black sling carrier while JJ propped Ellie on one hip and held Henry's hand.

Sophia lead the family out to the front of the building and outside to a sectioned off walkway for guests. Emily was grateful that the press had been directed to keep the questions and pictures on an 'ask only' basis. It was for the comfort of the children. Emily and her family stepped forward to get their pictures taken by most of the news sources.

"Mrs. Prentiss, can you tell us about your family's experience with the foster care system?" Someone asked, holding out a mic.

"We got very lucky. We've had our struggles as a family, but not nearly as bad as some of these kids have. I love each of my children, and I feel incredibly blessed to have them. That's why I fought so hard to make this event possible. Each child in the system needs to feel appreciated and loved so this night is for them." Emily answered with poise.

"Can you tell us about the inspiration for this event?" Another press member asked.

Emily chuckled, "Actually, during Thanksgiving, my daughters were watching Princess Diaries 2. There's this beautiful scene where Princess Mia invites the orphanage girls over for a big sleepover party. I wanted to do something like that. I wanted to throw a huge party in the name of these kids who can often get lost in the system. They deserve to be recognized. They deserve this. And I'm glad to be the one who planned this."

Sophia stepped in front of Emily, "We are taking no more questions at this time. The real stars of the night, the kids, are going to be arriving soon." She finished with a smile.

Emily and JJ took their places by the front doors. Lola was tasked with keeping an eye on her siblings. Though everyone knew they would be watched closely by the security detail.

Emily heard the commotion outside and knew the first batch of families were being escorted down the red carpet, so to speak. JJ looked to her wife, "It's show time."

Two guards opened the double doors and revealed a group of kids, of varying ages, dressed to the nines. A little girl wearing a tiara came up to the couple, "Did you throw this party?"

Emily knelt down, "I did. What do you think?" The brunette asked sweetly.

The girl smiled, revealing two lost front teeth, "I love it!"

"Well, go ahead. Go play. Do whatever you want." Emily encouraged, gesturing to the large play area behind her.

The girl ran off, leaving the pair to greet others. Soon, all the kids were inside, music was playing as the ran around exploring. Some of the older kids just sat and watched but seemed to be enjoying themselves. Emily and JJ made their way back to the front of the building to greet the donors as they came. Most were people she would interact with: politicians she met from her parents' work, people she would work with through the import business, various heirs and heiresses, multiple celebrities that could make it.

JJ was bouncing between Emily and the kids. Emily was bouncing between schmoozing and checking with Hotch, who had a steeling gaze as he examined the crowd.

"Nice suit." Emily said from behind him.

He seemed to flinch slightly before turning to face her quickly, "Thank you."

Emily laughed, "What? Didn't see me sneak up on you? You're losing your touch."

He gave a rare smile, "You know as well as I do that my subconscious immediately wrote you off so my conscious could focus more accurately on unfamiliar faces."

"Uh-huh." Emily said, rolling her eyes before laughing.

"This is some party." He moved on quickly.

"It is. So far, things seem to be running smoothly." She answered.

"I'm proud of you." He said quietly.

Emily was shocked, Aaron Hotchner was many things, but open about his feelings of others. "Excuse me?" She asked, her shock evident in her voice.

"I know I doubted you in our field, and I shouldn't have. You were great then. But this? All this is so… noble. It's extraordinary. I may not have the right to be, but I am so incredibly proud of you. We all are." He finished, returning to scan the room.

Emily felt flustered by the admittance, "Uh, thank you."

"You're welcome," He replied, "That being said, if you ever call the director personally to put us on a security detail again, we're going to see how well your combat skills held up after domesticity." He smirked.

Emily laughed brightly, "Of course, sir." She patted him on the back, "I'm going to see the kids quickly. Let me know if you spot any suspicious figures." She teased.

Emily made her way to the play area and found Lola holding Benjamin as she talked to Spencer, "Actually, jazz started in," Emily could hear Spencer's long lecture about something and saw Lola's dull gaze accompanied by it.

"Spencer!" Emily cut him off, "Do you mind if I talk to Lola about some _girl_ stuff?" She asked quietly. Spencer blushed and nodded his head before leaving.

"What did you want to talk about?" Lola asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just saw the Spencer effect in your eyes and thought you would like a break." Emily laughed. She took Benny and let him suck on her knuckle, "Did you eat?" She asked. Earlier, there was a feast brought out for the kids, most of it was typical kid-type food.

"No, but I made sure Henry and Ellie did." She answered.

"Okay, do you want to eat with us? When we have a later dinner?" Emily asked.

"Yes please." Lola smiled.

"Deal. Are you going to stay here with us all night?"

"If I can."

"Not a problem. Well, I'm gonna take him, see if I can get him to sleep." Emily said standing before leaning over and kissing the teens forehead. "I love you. Come find me or Jen or any of the BAU you can find."

"Okay. I will. Love you too." Lola answered before standing to find her siblings.

Emily made her way around the venue, talking to various people. She bottle fed Ben while she talked. Eventually, with a bottle and some light rocking, he fell asleep in Emily's arms. She stealthily switch the half-full bottle for his pacifier.

"Hey baby." Jennifer said behind her.

Emily turned with a smile, "Hi." She kissed JJ sweetly.

"I brought your sling for him." JJ said, holding it up for proof. "I figured once you got him asleep, you wouldn't want to put him down." JJ teased and helped Emily put it on with the baby in her arms.

Emily tucked Ben in it and rested her arms around him. "Thank you. Will you put this away?" She said, handing the bottle to her wife.

"Of course." JJ turned to leave.

"Emily Prentiss." The brunette turned to the vaguely familiar voice.

"Jen!" Emily said behind her, "Wait." Emily looked at the woman, "Mariska Hargitay. I'm so glad you could make it."

Mariska smiled, "The pleasure is truly all mine. My husband and son are around here somewhere, but the play area may have been just too enticing for them both."

"Yeah, my kids helped plan that one." Emily answered, "This is my wife, Jennifer."

JJ shook the actress' hand, trying really hard to mask her awe, "It is so nice to meet you, my Emmy has told me about the work you do for your foundation."

"Thank you. I'm glad it is being appreciated." Mariska smiled at them both before eyeing the sleeping baby, "And who is this?"

"Oh, this is our youngest, Benjamin." Emily moved the edge of the sling down to reveal his face.

"Oh, he is darling. How old is he?"

"Just over four months." JJ beamed.

The couple turned at the yelling behind them, "Henry! Ellie! Come back!" Spencer yelled. The two were running towards Emily and JJ.

"Momma! Mommy!" Ellie yelled.

Behind Spencer was Lola, also trying to catch the kids.

"Don't tell!" Henry yelled, right on the girl's tail.

JJ stopped the running, "Woah, woah, woah. You two were told to stay with Uncle Spence and Lola. What is all this about?"

"Mommy! Henry pushed me! All I wanted was to play with him! But he said I was a baby and he pushed me off the slide!" She rushed out. JJ noticed the tear streaks that still laid on her cheeks.

Emily looked to the lanky man, quirking an eyebrow, "Spencer?"

"Henry was off with another boy. I told Ellie she could go up to the slide where he was. They did look like they were arguing, but it was too loud, I couldn't actually hear. He did push her off, but it was the bouncy house slide so she just kind of bounced off the slide. She wasn't hurt, I checked her over. But she was scared and crying." Spencer rushed out.

JJ picked up Ellie, who welcomed the comfort, "Henry Daniel Jareau. What were you thinking?! You could have hurt her!"

Henry cried, "I told her I didn't want to play with her!" He yelled through his own tears.

"That doesn't matter." Emily said sternly. "That was mean, and dangerous. You don't have to play with your sister, but you are absolutely not ever allowed to try and hurt her."

"You're grounded." JJ said. "No tablet, no TV, and you're lucky if Santa doesn't cancel tomorrow after that."

Henry prepared for a tantrum, "Not another word." Emily interjected. "Go back to the play area with Spencer and Lola and count yourself lucky."

He looked like he was deciding whether to listen or not. The he huffed and turned sharply before stomping off. JJ turned to Emily, "Thank for the support."

"Always." Emily kissed JJ, who was still holding Eloise. "Parenting done right." She winked. Emily turned back around, having momentarily forgotten about the guest she was talking to. "I'm sorry, it's been a stressful week for all of us and I think he's just a little irritated without school providing a break from all of us." Emily laughed lightly.

"It's not a problem, who's this?" She asked, quickly changing the subject to the girl resting her head on JJ's shoulder.

JJ rubbed her daughters back, "Can you tell her who you are?" She whispered in the girl's ear.

Ellie lifted her head from JJ, "Eloise Rosalyn Prentiss. I'm 4." She held up that many fingers to emphasize her point.

"Wow!" Mariska mused, "That's a fun age. And your name is very pretty."

"What do you say to Ms. Mariska?" Emily prompted.

"Thank you, Ms. Mariska." Ellie said quietly. She leaned back into JJ, "I'm tired Mommy."

JJ checked a clock on the wall, it was nearly nine, well past the girls 8:00 p.m. usual bedtime, "I bet, baby. Do you want to see if Aunt Penny is ready to take you home?"

"I want to stay with you." Ellie cried.

JJ sighed and looked to Emily, "I'm going to go sit somewhere quiet with her. Maybe if I can get her asleep with me, it'll be easier for Pen."

"Okay. Let me know when to pack Ben up." JJ kissed Emily before she walked off.

"Well, now that it's just us," Mariska started, "Well, and Ben, I wanted to talk with you about something."

Emily quirked an eyebrow, "Well, let's head to the bar. It's quieter there."

Emily led the way, "What can I get you?" Emily offered.

"Martini."

Emily turned to the bartender, "Two please." Emily turned to the olive-skinned woman, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Business. As I'm sure you're aware, my foundation is an outreach for rape victims. There are a lot of third world countries that need advocacy and protection. I know you have an import/export business and that your business has necessary travel accessibilities for you to get done what needs to be done. I am also aware of your FBI background." Mariska said boldly.

"How do you know all that?" Emily asked, keeping her voice cool.

"You have your means of research, I have mine. All I want to know, is if you'd be willing to outfit your business in collaboration with my foundation to bring affordable and essential care to the women of India and Africa."

"I think that can be arranged. Let's exchange contact info, and we'll start with meetings and planning." Emily said, grabbing her martini from the bar tender.

"Sounds good, thank you, Emily."

"My pleasure." Emily answered.

"Emster!" The brunette heard Penelope call. "JJ wanted me to let you know that Ellie is out like a light, Henry not far behind, and I should get the kiddos into bed." The blond rambled before looking at Emily's guest. "Oh my god!" She said when she finally looked closely, "You, you're. Oh my god, you're-"

"Mariska Hargitay," The guest cut her off, laughing lightly. She shook Pen's hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"This is Penelope Garcia." Emily said, "A dear friend, former colleague and goddess of all knowing." The brunette introduced them, "So, Pen. You ready to take him?"

Penelope seemed to snap out of her haze, "Oh. Yes, of course." Emily helped her friend get Ben situated on her, sling and all.

"I'll see you later, you have my keys?"

"Yep!"

"And you're staying for tomorrow morning?" Emily confirmed.

"You couldn't make me miss Christmas morning with my favorite kids!" Garcia answered.

"Great. See you tomorrow. Bye Pen."

"Bye, Emmy!" She turned to look at the still asleep baby, "Say bye to Momma"

Emily laughed as she watched them leave. "So, contact info?" She prompted.

"Of course." Mariska answered.

When Emily wrapped up the night, the event had attained over 30 million dollars in donations from those attending, and those who heard about it from the media storm. She slipped out of her heels as the last guests filed out.

"Tired?" She heard Morgan ask behind her.

"You have no idea. Plus, my feet fucking hurt." She groaned.

Derek sat on the bench beside his friend, "Here, let me help." He said patting his lap.

Emily immediately put her feet in his lap. He started massaging them, earning a loud moan from the brunette, "I should have married you." She said, groaning.

"Hey!" JJ laughed from beside them.

"Oh, relax. He's not my type anyway." Emily said gently, not opening her eyes.

"Are you ready to go?" The blond asked.

"With you? Always." Emily took her feet off Derek. She kissed his cheek before leaving. "Thank you. See you guys on New Year's."

"See you." He replied, cut off by a big yawn.

Emily walked with JJ, trying her best to cover a smile. They made their way out into the crisp night air. They walked hand in hand to the parking lot. The walked up to a new BMW sports car. Emily hit the button on the key fab to unlock it.

"Uh, Emily? What is this?" The blond asked.

"This is our Christmas gift from my parents. I also think it's a thank you for getting my cousins out of their house, and an apology for not attending tonight."

"A car? Your parents got you a brand-new sports car for Christmas?" JJ asked incredulously.

"Us. They got us a fancy sports car. I figured since I have the kids most of the time, I won't have much excuse to use this. So, I think you should use it for work. It'd be such a shame to let this baby go without being driven all the time." Emily suggested.

"You just want me to rub it in to Rossi, don't you?" JJ asked.

"Of course! My mansion is so much better than his!" Emily whined.

"Our mansion." JJ corrected.

"Of course, dear, our mansion. So, you take it to work, subtly rub it in his face that I have a higher net worth than him, and that you're my beautiful, badass trophy wife. And that'll be the end of it. He's had three failed marriages and I am flaunting a beautiful wife _**and**_ our money." The brunette said bitterly.

"What is the deal with you two?" JJ laughed.

"He said my ability to spend the wealth was subpar. This'll show him." Emily said, handing the keys to JJ and getting in the passenger seat.

JJ followed suit and started the car, "So this is just you being petty and having a pissing contest?"

"Absolutely. Now take us home." Emily ordered.

JJ laughed and the pair sped off into the December night.


	34. Chapter 34

Emily sipped her beer, her arm wrapped around JJ's waist as they watched the ball drop on the large TV in Rossi's living room. The large gathering counted down with the TV. When it hit midnight, the group cheered. Emily and JJ shared a passionate kiss that was cut off by Derek's wolf whistle.

"Oh, fuck off." Emily said as she pulled away.

"Come on now princess. Don't be like that. Let me watch." Morgan teased.

"Ew. Don't act like a perv." Garcia said as she walked by. She smacked the back of his head, causing them to walk off in their own playful argument.

JJ's phone began to ring, Emily groaned already knowing what it's about. As the blond found a quiet room, David approached Emily.

"So… the BMW?" He opened.

Emily laughed, "Come on, you challenged me. What was I supposed to do? We both know I've never been passive about anything."

Rossi laughed, "That is true. Let's just say if your going to start a pissing contest, I'm going to have to step up my game. But rest assured, you may have the money and the wife, but I have the money and no wife to keep me from spending it."

"You could spend your entire life's savings before I even finish one trust fund." She teased.

JJ came back, a solemn look on her face. "Case?" Rossi asked.

"Yeah. Vegas. Wheels up asap." JJ answered effectively. The blond turned to her wife, "I'm sorry baby. I'll come home and kiss each kid."

"Okay, let's get home as soon as possible." Emily answered, grabbing her coat and keys before the pair rushed out.

"Henry." JJ prodded. "Henry, baby. Wake up."

The blond boy opened his eyes. "Mommy?" He asked, his voice raspy with sleep.

"Hi sweet boy. Happy New Year's. Mommy has to go to work." JJ whispered.

"Okay," Henry put his arms around JJ's neck in a tight hug. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you soon." Jen kissed his forehead.

"Okay Mommy. Goodnight."

JJ laughed quietly, "Goodnight."

JJ repeated the process with Lola and Ellie, who were much more resistant to the wake up. She threw some things into a go bag, her last batch of clothes from the bag having been dirtied in the field.

"Okay, do you have everything?" Emily asked.

"I should." JJ said as she rushed through the room, grabbing more essentials.

"I'll see you soon. I'll get your dirty work clothes to the cleaners." Emily said as she kissed JJ's forehead.

"I love you. I'll see you soon." JJ said.

"I love you too." Emily pulled her wife into a tight hug.

JJ zipped up her bag and rushed out of the house.

"Guys, what if this guy isn't lower class?" Reid mused. "We profiled him as lower class because of the hatred he shows to these women but look at the social status of the victims and the last known whereabouts of them."

Everyone looked at the board, "They were all extremely wealthy." Morgan said first.

"All of them were last scene at a publicized socialite event." JJ postulated.

"I don't think he's angry at them because they are more successful as him, I think he's angry at them because they represent someone who was supposed to be involved with him." Spencer finished.

"I know Emily has scene a lot of arranged marriages in her parent's social group. It's possible there was a situation like that he was in. If he loved her, but she left him for someone out of his class, that could be where his rage stems from." JJ explained.

"That makes sense," Rossi interjected, "When you look at where they were taken from to where they were found, he's treating them like without a marriage in their social group, then they are lesser. They were all taken from expensive clubs and casino's but found in the low-income areas of the city. Like he feels his ex belongs there because she left him for someone outside of their class."

Hotch called Garcia, "Garcia, we need you to run a search for any upcoming exclusive events. Check within the comfort zone."

"Will do, sir." She answered quickly before clicking off the line.

"Let's figure out a way to find him and catch him. Use the profile to organize an operation." Hotch ordered.

"Well, he's a classic narcissist. If we go in hot, he will either go off the deep end, causing unknown collateral damage, or he could disappear, and we wouldn't be able to find him again until his urge to kill consumes him." Reid thought out loud.

"We need to run an undercover op." JJ finished.

The phone in the conference room began to ring. "Talk to me, baby girl." Morgan answered.

"There is only one exclusive event happening on the night he strikes. It's a high roller poker game, the entry fee is a million dollars. They run a financial background check on any players before they even let them through the door." Garcia answered.

"So, maybe our undercover op is out of question." JJ said solemnly.

"Maybe not." Garcia said through the receiver.

"What do you mean, Penelope?" Morgan asked.

"Well, I did run a background with the hosts financial parameters to all known FBI associates. Only one name matches it." She said, a hint of amusement seeping through her voice.

"Who?" Reid asked.

"I don't like where this is going…" JJ muttered.

"One Emily Prentiss." Garcia said.

"I swear to god." JJ started.

"What about me?" Rossi asked, more curious about his contest.

"You, my dear David Rossi, have about one twenty fourth of Emily's net worth." Garcia answered.

"God dammit." He muttered.

"Not now." JJ warned, "I swear to god, if you guys get my wife hooked on the BAU again, I will kill each and every one of you."

"JJ, I think you know what has to happen here." Hotch said cautiously, "Emily is the only person with the funds, and skills, to pull this off."

JJ visibly deflated, "I know. Let me call her."

Garcia squealed over the phone, "Oh the gang is getting back together!"

"Bye, Penelope." Morgan said into the receiver before hanging up.

JJ pressed her phone to her ear. Emily was at home, finishing some play time with Benjamin when her phone rang.

"Hey, baby." She answered happily.

"Hey, Em."

"What's wrong? Is someone hurt?" Emily asked, sensing her wife's tone.

"No, nothing like that." JJ soothed. "We, uh, we need you. We have to run an op that only you are qualified for."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked as she stood off the floor with Benjamin.

"This case requires an undercover operation in an exclusive club that only you can enter. The host runs a full financial background before allowing people to enter." JJ explained.

"And so, I win. Now David knows how much more money I have then him."

"Not now, Emily." JJ growled.

"Okay, let me make some arrangements. How soon should I tell my jet to be ready?"

"We need you here by tonight. The op is tomorrow, and you have to be briefed." JJ instructed.

"Shit. Okay. Let me get the kids with my parents. Well, I'll get them here. I'll tell Raúl to prep the jet. I'll be out as soon as I can." Emily informed her wife, planning the trip out in her head. "How much should I bring?"

"Entry is one million."

"That's it?" Emily teased.

"The fuck you mean 'that's it'? That's a million dollars Emily!" JJ yelled, earning a muffled chuckle from the team behind her.

"I'll be there. I love you."

"I love you too." JJ softened.

"Bye, baby."

"Bye. Kiss the kids for me before you go."

"I will. See you soon."

"Yeah." JJ muttered, hanging up.

A couple hours later, JJ received a text from her wife.

**Em: I'm leaving right now. I should land in five hours.**

**JJ: Okay, we emailed you the case file. Hotch said to read up before you land.**

**Em: I will. Love you.**

"Emily's ETA is five hours. Who's picking her up, because if I have to do it, she'll be sent back on that plane." Jennifer remarked.

"I'll do it." Morgan offered.

"Okay. Let's plan out the op." Hotch said, sitting in the conference room.

The group all began to spit ball ideas, slowly forming a plan for tomorrow night. "You should leave soon." Hotch said, looking to Derek.

Morgan checked his watch, "Yeah, should we pick up something to eat for us?"

"Yes," Rossi answered. "Tell Emily to pay for it. You know what we all like." He finished with a laugh.

Morgan nodded before grabbing a set of keys to the SUV's. Derek made his way to the airport, using his badge to bypass his way right onto the tarmac. Emily's jet was still taxying when he arrived. He waited in the SUV until the jet's door opened. He stepped out and went to steps, waiting for his friend. She stepped into sight and he whistled. She was wearing a black pantsuit with a red shirt. Normally, that's what she would wear to work, but this one fit her perfectly. She ditched the straight-legged pants for a skinnier style and instead of her trademarked boots, she had on a new pair that had a higher stiletto heel.

"Stop ogling. This is business attire." She joked, rolling her eyes.

Derek laughed, "Glad to have badass Prentiss back instead of suburban mom Emily."

"Shut up. My house is not suburban." She laughed back. She threw her duffle bag at him, "Carry this, let's go."

He carried the bag back to the SUV and put it in the back before taking the driver's seat. "We have to get the team food. Rossi said you're buying."

"Of course he did. Let's go then."

Derek drove to a Chinese restaurant, where they picked up enough food for the team. As they made their way into the local police station, they laughed about the last time the team was in Vegas for a case where she got super drunk and tried to survive the following hangover. She greeted each member before finding Jennifer in the file room, scouring over a possible case.

"Hey baby." She said smiling. JJ looked up at her and smiled. The blond looked at her wife's outfit.

"That's new." She gulped, loving to way it fit her wife.

"Yeah, but if you think this is nice, wait for my dress tomorrow." Emily husked.

"Can I get a sneak preview?" JJ said, stalking her way towards her wife.

Emily caught JJ's hand as it moved to brush a piece of hair out of her face. The brunette used this move to quickly spin her wife and press the blonde's back to her chest, "Sorry. It's a surprise." Emily husked into her ear. She leaned down and kissed at the blonde's neck.

JJ moaned, "Stop." She gasped, "We have work to do."

Emily licked her way from JJ's neck to her ear, nibbling on the lobe. She pulled away, "Okay." She said before releasing the blond and stepping back. JJ whined but didn't move, afraid if there was any more teasing, she would take Emily in the file room. "I brought food. We should eat and go over the operation."

Emily reached a handout for JJ to grab and they walked back to the team hand in hand. The team was eating, Hotch looked up at them, "You'll be in there pretty much alone. How's your profiling skills?"

Emily took a moment and studied the group, "Derek just broke up with someone, he always tries a new look after a breakup. This time he's trying for a full man beard. It's not working. Spencer is trying out a new variant for his matching sock theory. JJ is pissed about me being here but doesn't want you guys to know how angry she really is. Hotch thinks Jack is being bullied at school. And Rossi is in a new relationship. Based on his personality and the genuine shock on your guy's face, it's not something he's told anyone. That leads me to believe it's with someone he doesn't want you guys to know about. Based on the shining blond hair stuck underneath the collar of his suit jacket, I'd say Rossi is sleeping with Strauss at the very least."

Morgan choked on his food at the latest revelation. He knew his assessment was true so he could only assume based on the accuracy of his, and the look Rossi had as he tried to hold a poker face, that Emily was probably right. "Strauss dude?" He exclaimed.

"Okay, so she's still quite skilled." Hotch said studiously, "I don't think she'll have any problems."

JJ leaned into Emily, "Did you have to tell them about my anger? You couldn't profile anything else?" She whispered.

Emily turned to her, "Sorry." She shrugged. Emily turned her attention back to the team, "So, want to run me through the plan?"

"Simple op. Get familiar with the profile. You'll go in as yourself. This guy is not part of the host company, so that shouldn't be an issue. Morgan will go with you, posing as a personal bodyguard. You're allowed a guest who doesn't have to buy in. He can't play, and you have to vouch for him at the door, but he can come. Profile opponents, move around the room, make conversation. When you think you have the guy in your sights, tap the mic three times. We'll be able to see the guy through this," Hotch explained as he held up a necklace. "It has a camera hidden in the chain. It's like any other operation. Get in, get the guy, get out. This is quiet, we need this to be a surprise. So far, besides reporting the crime, we've been on a media blackout. This guy doesn't think we have anything on him, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Got it." Emily confirmed.

"The rest of us will be watching security cams that Garcia will get us access to. She told me I didn't want to know how, but she promised we would have a visual. For now, it's late. Let's head to the hotel. We all need to be rested for tomorrow. Meet in the hotel lobby at ten tomorrow. We can all sleep in. The UNSUB has stuck to a strict routine, he won't hunt until tomorrow night, we can afford to catch up on sleep." The team leader directed as he packed up his things.

The rest of the team was soon to follow. Hotch, Spencer, and Dave were in the first SUV while Derek, Tara, JJ and Emily got in the second. JJ and Emily sat next to each other in the back.

"Jennifer, you worry to much. This is a clean op, nothing will go horribly wrong." Emily assured in a hushed tone.

"Emily. You don't know that!" The blond whisper yelled, before softening, "You are the mother of my children. If I lost you, ever, I wouldn't know what to do. You can't leave me alone for a whole day with the kids. But if you were gone forever? I don't know if I'd be able to do it."

"It's not because your incompetent. You're a good mother. Why am I even indulging this? It'll be fine."

"That's not the point. I know I'm competent. It's just… ugh! You do such a good job. You have their routine down perfectly, you work from home while you clean the house, take care of the kids, fuck you even have a scheduled playtime for Benny. If you got hurt because you were over-confident, Emily it would kill me." JJ wiped a tear that had fallen.

"Jen, I'm not over-confident. I know you guys will have my back. This guy uses charm to abduct women, I can assure you I'll be on the look out for that. He uses his bare hands to kill violently, you know I've been working out every day, I know hand to hand combat. This is not some risky mission. This is what I trained to do, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't second guess my abilities every two seconds. Jen, that makes _me_ feel less confident." Emily emphasized. She wasn't being rude, just honest.

JJ sighed, "I know. I- I just worry. I'm sorry I made you feel second guessed." The blond leaned into her wife. "So," She started in a normal volume, "Do I get to see that dress tonight?"

Emily laughed, "Sorry, that's only for tomorrow." Emily leaned to whisper in her wife's ear, "But trust me, as soon as this is over, you get to rip it off me."

Evidently, her whisper hadn't been as quiet as she thought. From the from seat, Tara choked on her water. Derek patted her back as she sputtered. "Emily, really? Now you've almost killed two friends with that mouth of yours. Do you ever think before you speak?" He teased.

JJ leaned forward, "No, she doesn't but all the other things she does with that pretty mouth totally makes up for it."

Emily sat quietly, blushing. She supposed after teasing JJ she deserved that. Tara let out a loud laugh at the comment.

The rest of the ride was spent making fun of each other. By the time they made it to the hotel, they stepped out of the car still laughing.

"Why do they get the fun car?" Dave muttered.

"Team, get some rest. We'll prep more tomorrow morning." Hotch said before heading into the hotel.

Emily followed JJ up to her room, "This is much nicer than the ones we stayed in when I was on the team."

"Just get ready for bed. I'm so tired." JJ said, pulling out something to sleep in.

"Or…" Emily mused, "We could do something a little more fun."

JJ smiled and turned to face her wife, "Like what?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Like this." Emily answered before pulling her wife into a heated kiss. JJ immediately leaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Emily's waist. JJ tucked her hands into the waistband of the tight dress pants, cupping Emily's tight ass. Emily pulled away from JJ's mouth, kissing down her face and neck, stopping at all of JJ's favorite spots.

"I like this." JJ gasped. "No marks." She ordered as she felt Emily begin to suckle on her pulse.

The brunette pulled away, "No _visible_ marks." She stressed.

JJ pulled their hips together as they kissed again. Emily pulled her body away to start working on JJ's top. She slowly unbuttoned it, letting her fingers trace the newly exposed skin. When she threw the top off, Emily easily undid the bra clasp, releasing JJ's perfect breasts. The blond returned the favor by quickly pushing off Emily's blazer, then shirt, then bra. Emily easily walked them back to the bed, laying atop JJ.

Emily undid JJ's pants, not breaking their kiss, and pushed them and her panties off. JJ helped by kicking them off. The blond fumbled with her wife's pants, fighting with the too-complicated buttons. While she was distracted, Emily took this chance to surprise her wife, sinking two fingers into her already wet core.

JJ halted her task, arching and moaning. "Fuck, Emily." She moaned.

"Shhh. I know Hotch puts all of us close together." The brunette whispered against supple lips.

"I don't care. Let Tara and Derek hear how fucking amazing you are in bed."

"Oh my god." Emily felt herself get wetter at the thought of her friends hearing Jen scream her name.

The brunette kissed down JJ's neck, stopping to tease her nipples. She continued her path, stopping to spread JJ's legs wider. The brunette kissed and nipped up the long legs, leaving red marks as she went. Her fingers were still working tightly in JJ. When she added her mouth, suckling on her clit, JJ suppressed a scream. Emily pulled her mouth back, causing her wife to whine, "Come on, Jen. You want them to hear, let them really hear you." She accentuated her point by suckling harshly on JJ's swollen bud. JJ screamed at the pleasure. When Emily felt her wife get close, she eased up on all her stimuli.

"Emily! What the fuck?!" JJ nearly yelled.

"Remember what we did on our honeymoon?" Emily asked, lapping lazily at her wife's sweet pussy.

JJ shuddered at the thought, "Edging? You want to edge me now?"

"Remember the rules?"

JJ threw her head back, "Try to hold it off, tell you when I'm going to cum, and say 'sicurezza' if it's too much and I need to cum right away."

"Good girl." Emily purred, attaching her mouth.

JJ arched her back, moving her hips into the pressure. After a few minutes of the pressure building, JJ was so close, "Emily. I- I'm close." Emily slowly eased off her pressure, teasing her wife away from the edge. JJ groaned, "Emily." She whined. "Em, Emmy. Fuck, please, please, please, Emmy baby. Make me cum. Fuck, please." She cried loudly as Emily kept a slow pace. JJ moved her hips, trying to get herself there. Emily wrapped an arm around JJ's waist to keep her still. "Emily!" She yelled.

"Stay still."

Emily slowly brought the pace back up, no, she brought it up to where it never was. She was faster than before, more urgent. JJ's breathing picked up and she wrapped the blankets in her hands, looking for anything grounding. "Emily!" She half yelled, half gasped, "Sicurezza!" She yelled.

Emily didn't stop, instead, she pushed her wife further. She added a third finger to her wife's dripping hole, used her tongue to flick at JJ's swollen clit, and brought her other hand from JJ's waist to use her thumb and apply the slightest pressure to JJ's back entrance, not enough to penetrate, just stimulate.

JJ's orgasm hit her hard. She screamed as her legs shook. She felt all the pressure release in her core. She'd never felt that before until she heard Emily muttering. "Fuck, Jay. Fucking squirt for me baby." JJ had never squirt before, but so far, she though this was the best orgasm she'd ever had.

Emily moved her mouth to clean up all the juices coming from her wife. When JJ's muscles relaxed, Emily placed one soft, final kiss over JJ's core before crawling up next to her wife. "Oh my god." JJ husked.

"Oh my god." Emily confirmed. "We're going to need new bedding."

JJ covered her face with her hand, "Oh my god." She whined, embarrassed.

"Why are you embarrassed?" Emily asked as she pulled JJ's arms away from her face.

"I've never done that before. I ruined hotel sheets." She muttered.

"I don't care, it was the most beautiful thing. If I could do that to you all the time, I would." Emily kissed her again.

"I love you." JJ said when the kiss ended.

"I love you too." JJ felt her eyes flutter closed before she forced them open again. "It's okay. Sleep. I already came." Emily soothed.

"When?" JJ asked.

"Do you really not know how fucking hot that was? I had to do something for myself." The brunette teased. "Do you still keep that blanket in your bag?"

"Always. The plane gets cold." JJ confirmed.

"Okay, you rest. I'll strip the bed. This hotel should have extra blankets in the closet. Between those and your blanket, we should be fine for the night." Emily kissed JJ one last time before getting up and finding what she needed. When she crawled back in bed, the two cuddled together before falling into an easy sleep.


	35. Chapter 35

The team was gathered in the conference while they waited for Emily and Derek to get ready. "How familiar is Emily with the profile?" Hotch asked JJ.

"You know her. It was memorized before she got here. The operation's good to go." JJ answered, still studying the murder board.

The team leader gave an understanding grunt as he finished writing something. Derek came back into the room. He ran his hands down the front of his suit, a suit Emily provided. "How much did this cost? And how does it fit perfectly?" He mused out loud.

"She had Garcia run security footage of you through her software that gives specific body measurements. She sent that to a tailor here and picked it up this morning." Spencer answered, which surprised the group. No one knew how he knew. He sensed the scrutiny from the team and looked up from his book. "She had me take her to the tailor because I already knew where it was." He blushed sightly.

"Do I even want to know how much this hand crafted suit cost?" Derek asked.

"Probably too much." JJ answered.

"It was only three thousand." Emily surprised the group by answering her friends question.

Tara, who helped her get ready, stood by Emily smirking when the boys, and JJ turned and looked to the brunette. There was a mixed reaction from each of them. Spencer blushed, Derek's jaw literally dropped, Hotch looked away as quickly as possible, Rossi wore a smirk similar to Tara's, and JJ just stared. The blonde's eyes dilated quickly as she looked at her wife. Emily wore a black satin dress. The top of it was skin tight and held together in a halter top fashion. Her back was totally exposed, the waistband right about her ass was the only fabric on her smooth back. JJ could see the edges of the Arabic tattoo on her ribs. The bottom of the dress fell loosely around her legs. She wore red heels and her lipstick and clutch matched the color perfectly.

"Damn Princess." Morgan was the first to break the silence.

"Like what you see?" Emily teased.

"Yes, but three thousand dollars for a suit?" He asked, quickly pivoting the situation.

Emily laughed, "Call us even for the favors I owe you. You can keep it."

As the team finished briefing, Emily noticed JJ's eyes never left her. The team were given their instructions and as the pair stood, Emily caught JJ's arm. She put her lips close enough for JJ to feel her breath tickle the blonde's neck, "The best part about this fantastic dress, is that I'm not wearing **anything** under it." She husked.

JJ shivered and walked on, afraid to look back. Emily smirked to herself and turned to find Tara trying to hide her own. "You are the reason I think about switching teams." The dark woman teased.

Emily laughed, "Oh, I highly recommend it. Women know how to do so much more than men."

"Trust me, Derek and I heard all about it last night." Tara teased.

The two laughed before heading off. They met outside the precinct. Emily found Derek, "Take us to the hotel. We have to pick up a different car. Arriving in an FBI issued SUV will be suspicious for anyone watching."

"Oooh, what are we getting. Anything like JJ's new car?"

"Better." The brunette answered before walking off ahead of Derek.

He followed closely behind her, asking many questions she wouldn't answer about the car. When they pulled into the hotel, Derek parked while Emily pulled out her phone to call someone. She spoke in what Derek assumed was Arabic. When she hung up, she opened the door and looked to her friend. "We need to wait by the doors, my friend will be dropping a car off." She said, getting out and quickly shutting the door behind her.

Derek followed suit, "Hey!" He called as he caught up to her. "What language was that?" He asked, knowing he got no where with the car questions and needing something to talk about.

"Persian. It's a little rusty, but it's a friend from Iran."

"How do you know this friend?"

"Middle school. I told when on one of my first cases I lived in the middle east a lot growing up."

Before Morgan could ask another question, he heard the roar of an engine in the parking lot. He tried to look, but the bright headlights blocked his view. When it pulled up in front of him, he got a good look. It was a brand new, jet black Aston Martin Vanquish.

"Holy shit." He muttered.

A woman stepped out of the car. She had caramel skin and dark long hair that fell loosely at her shoulder. She was gorgeous and Derek openly gawked before Emily elbowed him in the ribs.

The woman squealed and ran to Emily, her heels clicking on the cement. Emily met her half way and they enveloped each other in a tight hug.

"Emily!" The woman called as she stepped out of the hug, "God, beautiful as always!"

"Thank you! You too." Emily returned the compliment, "This is my friend Derek. Derek, meet Artina Mahini."

He stuck a hand out, his charm coming back to him in a brilliant smile, "Derek Morgan. It is truly a pleasure to meet you."

Emily laughed and looked to Artina, "_**See? I told you. Charmer. He is also recently single.**_"

Artina laughed, "I can see that. And Emily? You're Persian is rough." She teased her friend.

"I know! I have four kids, it's hard to find time to catch up on all my languages."

The two talked for a minute as Morgan stood by, "Uh, Em?" The brunette was torn from her conversation. "We need to get going if we want to be on time."

"Right. Of course. Atrina, hopefully we can close this case by tomorrow so JJ can join us at brunch. I'll return the car then." Emily smiled, "Thank you for this."

"Of course. I would love to meet the misses. I'll see you tomorrow!" Artina hugged Emily one last time before walking to the town car that Derek didn't noticed had pulled in.

"Em, can I please drive?" He begged.

"Not when we arrive. The help never gets to drive, but if we get this guy, I'll let you drive us back to the hotel."

"Deal!" He said excitedly.

Turns out, the guy was easier to catch than they thought. Emily played bait really well. She knew exactly what to say to entice him and draw his true personality out. When he found Emily alone in a corner while Derek pretended to get more drinks, he pressed a knife into her back. She easily took him down and 'accidentally' broke his wrist in the process. He was rolling on the floor when Morgan finally intervened.

"Charles McIntyre, you are under arrest for the rape murder of five women, assault and battery of a federal agent, and attempted kidnapping." Derek said as he clamped the handcuff tightly around the man's already broken wrist.

Charles cried out in pain, "They deserved it! All of them! All those bitches deserved a man like me, instead, they fell for trash!"

Derek hauled the man off the floor and led him out, still kicking and screaming. By the time he was gone, JJ had appeared by Emily.

"Em!" JJ called out when she spotted her wife. The brunette had a gash on her bare back. JJ rushed to her, "turn around." She said when Emily faced her. She checked the woman's back, the cut was bleeding some, but wouldn't need stitches.

"Uh, Jayje? What're you doin' back there?" She asked casually.

"You have a cut on your back," JJ turned her wife back around, kissing her sweetly, "I wanted to make sure it wasn't bad."

"Huh. I didn't even notice." Emily laughed.

JJ returned the laughter, "Adrenaline will do that to you."

Emily kissed the blonde again, who had to fight the urge to deepen it. "The night is still young. We haven't been clubbing since… probably before we got married."

"You're right. We should all go as a team. But first, you need to get that bandaged up."

"What a great idea! Clubbing with the team, I mean."

"There's an ambulance outside. Come on, let's ditch this joint." JJ practically pulled her wife away.

When Emily was patched up, she and JJ met with the team again. "We won't be leaving until the afternoon tomorrow." Aaron informed his team. "We need time to wrap things up and let the jet get ready. For tonight, go out, have fun, just don't get arrested." The team knew he was joking, even though he was terrible at delivering punchlines, they laughed anyway before parting ways.

"I told Derek he could drive the Aston Martin back to the Hotel." Emily said to her wife.

"That's okay. I have to get my tablet from the station. Why don't I just meet you at whatever club you pick?"

"Sounds good. See you there." Emily finished by kissing her wife sweetly and hurrying towards Derek. She tossed the keys as she approached, which he caught easily.

Tara and Emily headed to the hotel. The boys were already picking out a place to go while they got ready. Emily was slipping into a different dress when there was a knock at the door. She opened it quickly and turned back to her task.

"Can you zip me?" Emily asked.

"Of course." Tara stepped up to zip the tight dress all the way up. "Damn. That dress is sexy as fuck."

"I know. Jen's going to be so mad."

Tara laughed, "What? Why?"

Emily tried to think of any other explanation that would make sense. She couldn't think of any, she resigned herself to telling the truth. "You can't tell anyone." She looked at Tara, silently challenging her. The dark woman nodded and Emily continued, "I have this… thing. I kind of like to get her riled up when we're in public. I know I shouldn't, but I want to see how far I can get her to go. She hates when I do it because the consequences are worse for her, but..." She trailed off.

"Sometimes a girl just wants to get fucked in the dirty bathroom of a sleazy club." Tara finished. "No I get it. Exciting. I've done it."

"You have?"

"Well, not with a woman. You might actually get less weird looks as you two drunkenly stumble into the women's bathroom. Another pro to girl on girl."

"But that's the thing! She never lets it get really far. I think the most we've done is on my family's private jet." Emily sighed as she set to put the same red heels on.

"Eh, you never know. But by the way she was looking at you earlier, I'd say your chances are pretty good. You ready to go." Tara asked as she watched Emily finish touching up her lipstick.

"Yeah. Let's go." As they walked out, Emily snagged a room card in case JJ didn't have one. "And I hope my plan works."

"What plan?"

"I've been working on a teasing game since I found out I was coming here for this case. First was last night. I didn't give her the chance to… uh… reciprocate the favor. Then I had that whole get up for the op. I teased with any man who I talked to tonight. It always gets her a little jealous. That jealousy makes her act..." Emily trailed off again, not sure when she started sharing so much of her sexual life with a friend. Tara was always trust worthy, and she was so casual about it.

Tara cut in on her thinking, "Super fucking horny?" Tara finished Emily's sentence for the second time that night as they climbed into Aston Martin Emily got back after her and Tara were dropped off.

"Yeah. Exactly. So I indulged in extra flirting. Even with Morgan. He's a huge flirt all the time. Usually I would just shut him down, but I knew tonight, if I didn't, it would work JJ up. So I kept egging him on. Now, I'm pulling out all the stops with this dress. Yeah, it makes me feel super hot. But I know my wife, I know it will drive her fucking wild." Emily finished, smirking to herself as they drove to the club Morgan picked out. It just so happens that it's Artina's brother's club. She called Ehsan ahead of time and had him put her and her team on a VIP list.

"I hope you get your thrills tonight. Every woman deserves a little spice, and with four kids, I suspect you don't get your kicks as much as you want to."

Both women laughed as Emily drove into the Vegas nightlife.

When they got there, Emily walked up to the guys, who were patiently waiting in the crowd of other clubbers. Reid looked uncomfortable by the close comfort, Hotch looked unamused, Rossi was as relaxed as ever, and Derek was already flirting with a girl way to young for him. Emily stopped Tara from going up to them. Instead, she led her friend right past the boys, winking as they spotted her. She went straight to the pair of bouncers.

"Name?" One asked.

"Prentiss." Emily answered plainly.

"Ah, of course. A VIP guest. Mr. Mahini said you had a party of seven?" The large man asked.

"Yes. The four men over there studying my every move are with me. We have one more coming. Jennifer Jareau. She'll be here soon."

"Okay, go on through. VIP suite 6 is reserved for you. Mr. Mahini sends his best regards."

"Thank you." Emily answered as the other bouncer motioned for the boys. They all got hand stamps and walked inside. The club wasn't too crowded, but it did have a lot of people, the place was just huge. The main floor was full of general public. There were stairs that led to the VIP suites that over looked the large dance floor. Emily's heart immediately beat faster, in rhythm with the deep bass that she could feel rather than hear. "Follow me." Emily yelled over the music to her friends.

When they got situated in the suite, the music was less deafening and they could almost speak at their normal volumes. "How'd you get this hookup?" Derek asked.

"I know a guy." She answered plainly.

Before any follow-ups could be asked, a waitress came to the suite. "Can I get you guys anything to drink or eat?"

Emily answered for the team, "Can we get 14 shots of tequila, five beers, a white wine, and the most expensive scotch you have?"

"Are you sure?" The waitress asked, people didn't usually order such an expensive drink.

"I'm sure. Also, tell Ehsan Emily Prentiss is here."

"Of course. I'll be right back with that."

Emily nodded and turned her attention to the team genius, "I know you're not a heavy drinker, but I got you two tequila shots, and I'd really appreciate it if you drank them." She winked at him.

Spencer nodded when Dave leaned over, resting his arms on the table. "What's their most expensive scotch?" He asked, knowing it was for him.

"Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish." She answer.

He leaned back, a smile at the treat spreading across his face. JJ slipped into the booth beside Emily. They shared a kiss right before a tall man appeared in the suite.

"Emily!" He called.

JJ let Emily out and stood by her. The brunette welcomed the man in a hug. "Ehsan! It is so good to see you!"

"Artina told me you tried to set her up with some 'beefcake' as she called him." Emily slapped him lightly and was relieved to see Derek didn't hear.

"Shut up." Emily laughed, "Meet my beautiful wife, Jennifer."

Ehsan shook her outstretched had and brought it to his lips, giving it a quick kiss before releasing it, "it is a pleasure to meet you. I hope you enjoy your time at my establishment."

"Oh, I fully intend to." JJ said, her tone setting something off in Emily. Ehsan must have noticed it too, his eyebrow quirking as he hid a smile.

"I am pleased to hear it. If you don't mind, I'll be going back to my office. Simply send for me if you need anything." He finished, saying farewell to his friend.

Emily and JJ sat down when the waitress came back with drinks. Emily passed out the drinks, she grabbed the salt and lime the waitress also provided. "Shots first!"

The group had been at the club for nearly an hour. Emily, JJ, Tara and Derek were on the dance floor. The alcohol making their nerves hum with the music. Emily faced JJ as the moved together.

"That dress is so not fair." JJ said in Emily's ear.

"Oh. This old thing?" She joked.

"Yes. It makes me want to do very dirty things to you in it." JJ husked bluntly.

Emily gulped. JJ turned her wife around, in her heels, the brunette stood a good seven inches above her. JJ didn't care. She pulled her wife's ass to her waist. Emily instinctively ground against her wife. She didn't bother to hide behind the moan that slipped out when she realized why her wife was wearing jeans, instead of a dress. JJ had a bulge tucked discreetly enough in her pants to hide it in the dim light, but Emily still felt it brush against her.

"Jennifer." She moaned out again with another sway of her hips.

"I know you've been teasing me since you got here. The tight suit, last night, tonight, both fucking dresses. You're more transparent than you think you are." The blond said, her hot breath tickling Emily's neck. "I know you've wanted something exciting. I think tonight is the perfect night for that."

Before Emily knew what was happening, JJ was pulling Emily up the stairs towards their suite. Emily thought JJ was taking her to say goodbye. The slight disappointment vanished when JJ took a turn that led down the hall to the VIP bathrooms. JJ pushed the brunette in, turning to lock the door. The blond stalked to her wife, a fire burning in her gray-blue eyes. When JJ reached her wife she pushed her roughly into the counter, attaching their lips into a sloppy kiss. Emily wrapped her hand in JJ's hair, refusing to let the kiss end. JJ kissed down Emily's neck, biting at any exposed skin she could find.

Emily gasped out when JJ bit harshly on her pulse point before moaning as the blond used her skilled tongue to soothe the red skin. "You may have known what I was doing," Emily said through ragged breaths, "But you still fell for it."

JJ pulled away and locked eyes with the brunette, her lustful eyes melting into pure love, "For you, I'd fall for anything." The blond finished by kissing her wife again.

JJ used Emily's hips to guide the brunette onto the cold counter top, never breaking the heated kiss. Emily spread her legs to allow JJ to rest between them. The blonde took this moment to run her hand up the inside of long pale thighs. Emily leaned back to allow her wife more access.

"Fuck." JJ groaned as she felt Emily's core bare under her dress. She felt wetness on the tips of her fingers as she caressed Emily's mound.

"It's all for you baby." Emily purred, spreading her legs as wide at the dress would allow. The brunette quickly undid her wife's jeans and pulled the phallic out. She pulled it lightly, and by the way JJ bit her lip to suppress a moan, she guessed it had a little something for her too.

JJ pushed Emily's hand away and reached her arms under Emily's knees to both support her, and pull her to the very edge of the counter. She removed one arm to help guide the strap-on to Emily's waiting entrance. When she had it line up, she pushed in slowly, giving her wife time to adjust. It was larger than one they normally use, but she had short notice to buy it. When she bottomed out, she wiggled her hips, earning a loud whine from her wife. She put her arm back under Emily's knee and pulled out slowly. She set a slow pace, each stroke was agonizingly slow for them both.

"Fuck. Emmy." JJ was the first to cry out.

"Jennifer. I need more. Please. Oh god, please." She begged.

JJ picked up her pace, each thrust was now fast and hard. Emily dropped some, changing the position, causing JJ to hit her g-spot. She fought to scream louder than the music that boomed just outside the bathroom door. JJ felt herself get close as each thrust put pressure in a new spot. She reached an arm over Emily's hip and used her thumb to brush the brunette's swollen bud.

"Fuck… yes." The older woman cried between gasps. "So… close. Don't stop."

"Not a chance." Was all JJ could say back, fighting her own release for her wife. The blond added an extra harshness to her in thrusts to help her wife along.

Emily's orgasm built slowly until exploding hard inside her. She fought the scream, but it took her over and ripped through her throat. JJ was falling with her, gasping and repeating her wife's name over and over, small twitching movements were all she could muster to help Em ride her orgasm out.

Emily relaxed her legs as soon as JJ released them. She sat up, the phallic slipping out of her, causing a deep growl. She peppered kisses over her wife while still trying to catch her breath. "Fuck, baby. So good."

"I love you, Emily Prentiss. So much." JJ whispered.

Emily cupped her wife's cheek, "I love you too, Jen. Always."

They kissed one more time before JJ began to put herself back together. "Let's get out of here."

Emily handed Hotch her credit card when they got back from the table, "We're gonna get out of here. You guys stay as long as you like, tonight's on me." She and JJ made their way out to the Vegas night, the rest of the night still ahead of them.


	36. Chapter 36

"I cannot get over how cute she is." JJ said as she held the new family member. Gabbie had her baby the week after her and Emily returned from Vegas. Still, three months later, JJ fawned over the tiny girl, Aria Rosalee De Luca.

"I agree." Sophia piped up from the couch with Benjamin. "But she has the Prentiss nose. Let's hope it wasn't like Emily's when she was young."

"Hey!" Emily called from another spot in the living room, throwing a bit of popcorn at her cousin. It was movie night for the Prentiss residents. Sophia scooped up the snack and ate it, shrugging.

Benny was now seven months old and had a new nickname: bobble head Ben. Anytime someone held him, they had to be careful. He had a tendency to wiggle around now that he could and headbutt anyone within reach. Emily has had many a busted lip from him.

"He needs to go to bed soon." JJ said pointedly at Emily.

"I know. I'll get him down." Emily stood and grabbed the baby from her cousin. She made her way up to his room, which he moved into as soon as he could sit up on his own and the bassinet became a problem. She changed his diaper, got him in pajamas, and sat in the rocker with him and a bottle. She rocked him and hummed lightly. He was eating more and more solid food everyday, but he still got bottles three times a day: one for each nap, and before bedtime. When the baby was fast asleep in her arms, she traded the bottle for a pacifier and laid him down. When she arrived back in the living room, Henry and Ellie were almost asleep and cuddled up with Lola and the dogs. "Hey, you two." She said getting their attention, "Let's get you guys in bed too." The tired blondes grabbed each of her hands and the three made their way upstairs. After tucking them in, Emily found herself yawning and looked at a clock hanging in the hallway. It was only 9:30, but she was tired.

In the living room, the rest of her family, minus Sophia and Lola, were getting tired too. JJ had just come home from a long case and needed the extra rest. "I'm going to go to bed." The blonde announced as she handed the baby back to her mom and stood up. She looked to Lola and Sophia, "If you two stay up, please turn off everything and check the alarms. Goodnight. Love you." She kissed the top of her teen aged daughters head before meeting her wife in their room.

Soon, the whole house was quiet. Ben usually only woke up once in the night, around 3:00 am, for a snack and a new diaper. Emily always slept by the monitor to wait for him to wake her. Instead of being woken up by soft whimpering, Emily was woken up by absolute chaos.

The first thing she noticed was a flash bang. In her bedroom. It woke her up and disoriented her all at once. While she was trying to figure out what the fuck was happening, she felt a struggle in the bed beside her.

"JJ!" She yelled over the commotion. When she moved to find her wife, she was met with blinding pain in her head, then darkness. When she came too, her head was pounding, and the crying of Benjamin could be heard through the monitor. She also heard Lola's voice trying to soothe him. She immediately thought of the safety of her kids and sprung into action. She grabbed a gun she knew was hidden near the bed. She swept the hallway on her way to Ben's room. When she arrived, she slowly turned the knob before bursting in. She found Lola holding the baby, who was still screaming, and Henry and Ellie cowering behind her.

"Momma?" She heard her son whimper.

"It's me baby." She felt nothing but relief having all her kids safe. But she had to make sure that safety wasn't more compromised than it already was. "Stay here. Lock the door behind and try to stay as quiet as possible. I'll be right back."

Emily didn't wait for a response before she disappeared into the dark house. She swept every corner, turning on more lights as she went. She found no one else, not even JJ. Deep down, Emily knew what happened. It's the same thing that happened to her. JJ past came back. Emily knew it had something to do with the State Department. She knew that meant the worst. She knew there was a good chance her wife wouldn't come back. As she froze with fear for her wife, she had to push those thoughts away to protect the rest of her family. Her first stop was her cousins. She bounded up the steps to the apartment. Knocking loudly.

Sophia answered the door, bleary-eyed and grumpy. "You and Gabbie pack up and leave. Go to my parents. Call ahead."

"Emily!" Sophia caught her cousin. "What happened? You're bleeding."

Suddenly Emily remembered her head injury. She raised a hand to her scalp, and sure enough, warm red blood coated her fingers. "JJ's been kidnapped. You need to get out and to safety. Make sure Gabbie knows it has nothing to do with her and Aria. You're all safe, this is… a work thing. I have to go. My kids are scared." Emily dashed back down the stairs and found her way to Ben's room. She knocked lightly, "Lola, it's me. Please. Open the door."

Slowly the door opened before Lola fell into Emily's arms. "What's going on. Some men came into my room. They shoved me in with Ben. Two others came in with Henry and Ellie. I was so scared." The teen cried.

"Shhh." Emily soothed, running her hand down messy hair, "I know. We'll get it sorted out. Right now, you go pack a bag for you and your siblings. We need to leave right away. I've cleared the house."

"Where's JJ?" Lola asked hesitantly, fearing she already knew the answer.

"Gone. That's why I need you to move as fast as possible. Get bare minimums. We're leaving as soon as we can." Emily informed.

Lola left and Emily got to work. She quickly ran to her room and grabbed her phone before she grabbed Ben's diaper bag and the baby. She led Ellie and Henry downstairs where she made them put shoes and a jacket on to face the early spring whether. By the time she was done buckling a still whimpering Ben into his car seat, Lola came back with a duffle bag stuffed with clothes. She ushered the kids into the car and pulled out as quickly as possible, thankful to see Sophia and Gabbie's car gone too.

She pulled out her phone and called the one person she knew could help the most. "Hotchner." The man grumbled into the phone.

"It's Emily. JJ's been kidnapped. They set off a fucking flash-bang in my house. With my kids in it. I need to get them all checked out at the hospital. Send someone to meet me there. Secure my house. I can't explain now, but I think I know what the fuck is going on." She hung up and continued to drive into the early morning darkness.

By the time she pulled up to the ER bay of the nearest hospital, she saw Derek and Rossi already waiting, both looking more than tired. They saw her pull in and rushed to her car. Emily helped out Henry while Morgan grabbed Ben, and Rossi grabbed Ellie, who had fallen back to sleep.

"Em." Derek looked at her. "What's going on? You have a huge gash in your head and all we know is that Hotch told us to meet you here."

"I can't explain right now. Once we can get to the Bureau I can say more. But not here. All I can say is JJ is gone, my kids could all have concussions and I'm pissed as hell." Emily replied as they made their way into the hospital.

She yelled until each and every nurse stopped fussing over her head and paid attention to her kids. She was most worried about Benny. His room was closest to the explosion and she was worried about a concussion or even a ruptured ear drum. They nurses told her of the tests he would need, and Emily almost lost it at the thought of him being taken away.

"Derek Morgan, do not leave his side. Got it?" She ordered, finally allowing the nurses to look her over.

"I've got him." He ran off after the nurse and showed off his badge to be allowed places he never should have been allowed into.

The doctor came in to give Emily stitches and Dave tried to take the other kids out.

"I'm not leaving her." Lola said, pain evident in her voice.

"Baby, you don't have to stay. I'll be fine." Emily tried to convince her."

"NO!" She yelled firmly. "I am not leaving until you are." She insisted.

"Okay. Okay." Emily sighed, "Dave, can you take out Ellie and Henry? Remember no one comes near them. Got it."

"I will protect them with my life and my gun." He winked before grabbing Henry's hand and leading them out. After Ellie was given the all clear for head injuries, she was allowed to go back to sleep, and David Rossi hasn't let her down since. He carried her out and walked with Henry to a small waiting room.

As the doctor numbed Emily and began suturing, the brunette looked to her daughter and saw her picking at her cuticles. "I'm proud of you, ya know." She muttered.

Lola looked up, "What? Why?"

"Because even though you were scared, you still protected your younger siblings. I'm so proud of you." Emily said, flinching as the needle pinched her.

"Mom, now is not the time to get all mushy." She said with a small laugh.

"I know. I just love you, and the woman you're becoming. You're so… caring. I've seen people who were in a similar situation turn all their trauma into awful acts, but you've turned yours into this light you spread to everyone you can. It's inspiring. I love you so much." Emily said, letting a tear fall.

"I love you too. Now stop talking so you can get stitched up and we can figure out where my other mom is."

"Yes ma'am." Emily chuckled. Soon Morgan came back, carrying Benjamin and swaying slightly. Emily finished getting her stitches a little bit ago. "How is he?" She asked sitting up.

"He got the all good. He's just a little hungry and tired, but otherwise perfect." Morgan said smiling at the boy who rested in his arms and played with his chin.

Derek handed him to Emily. She kissed his head over and over. "Can you get an ETA on discharge papers? Also his diaper bag is in the car. If you can get your hands on some warm water will you make him a bottle?"

"Coming right up. Rossi has fallen asleep with the others in a waiting room." Derek smiled.

"The others?" Emily asked.

"Pen is here and Reid left your house to give us an update. Hotch and Tara stayed behind to oversee the investigation."

"Lola, will you please go out with them now?" Emily asked, the tired girl resting on the bed with her.

"No." She mumbled simply.

Derek chuckled before leaving to get everything Emily asked for. After about an hour, Ben was fed and back to sleep. Emily was signing discharge papers for the five of them, and packing all their stuff up. Morgan drove Emily's car back to the FBI building. They got the kids in safely and made make-shift beds out of any couch they could find. Lola fought off sleep for as long as she could, but finally fell asleep on the couch in JJ's old office. Emily met the team in the conference room once she was sure all her kids were safe, and had at least one agent guarding their doors at all times.

"There's something you guys don't know about JJ's time in the state department..."

"Emily. You came." Was the last thing JJ said before she fell into unconsciousness in her wife's arms. Emily worked tirelessly to find her wife, and was grateful to get to her in time.

The next thing JJ remembers is waking up to the sterile smell of a dark hospital room. "Emily?" She asked, her voice hoarse from a lack of water.

She felt movement beside her and opened her eyes fully to see her wife, "I'm here love. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Emily kissed JJ's hand.

"It's really you." The blonde rasped. Emily immediate got her some water and offered it to the weak blonde.

"It's me." Emily assured.

"The kids?" JJ asked, trying to sit up, and groaning at the pain that shot through her.

"Don't move just yet. The kids are fine. They're with Derek. He hasn't left them for almost 24 hours."

"I need to see them. Emily I need to. They set of a flash-bang in our house." JJ pleaded.

"I know. Let me just tell you what happened first. Askari and Hastings are both dead. Most of their henchman are too. We saved the data. And Matteo Cruz made it through, barely, but he's alive. You have several broken ribs, you were dehydrated and hypothermic. The doctors put you on antibiotics and oxygen because the only water you seemed to have had, was in your lungs. Some minor internal bleeding but the doctors believe it'll resolve on its own and will recheck it in an hour. Let me go get the kids and I'll be right back."

Lola was the first to appear in the doorway. "Mom." She let out breathlessly.

"Baby." JJ opened her arms and Lola carefully fell into them as soon as she could. Eloise and Henry popped their heads out from behind Emily, who was holding Benjamin. "Come here." She said to the littler kids. "I'm okay. But I need hugs."

Henry and Ellie climbed on the bed with some help from Lola. Emily sat next to the bed with Benjamin. The boy was squirming and tossing around to break free and go to JJ. Emily carefully avoided his head as he wiggled. He started to whine in irritation when JJ finally motioned for him.

While JJ cuddled all the kids, Emily received a text. She looked to her wife, who looked at ease for the first time in 24 hours. "My mom is going to take the kids to get settled the hotel. We'll get some stuff from the house before we meet them there as soon as you're discharged."

"Hotel?"

Emily looked down. "The percussion grenade shattered all the windows in our room. It needs to be cleaned of glass and the windows, which are a custom size, need to be replaced."

JJ nodded, but was just too grateful to still be with her family to care much.

Emily traded cars with her parents before she took JJ to get some things from their house. JJ insisted on coming in with her.

JJ stopped at the doorway to their room and stared blankly at the damage. Emily really downplayed how much damage there truly was. Emily noticed the blank and almost fearful look on her wife's face.

"We can move. I get it. This doesn't feel safe anymore. Granted, a highly organized attack is unlikely to ever happen again. But, we can't live here if all it does is worsen your trauma." Emily said softly.

"Em. No. This is our home." JJ fought.

"No, Jennifer. It's not. This is simply a house. You. The kids. All the love we share, that is home. This is just a couple of walls." Emily insisted, moving closer to soothe her wife.

"Emily..." She trailed off. "This house means so much to you."

The brunette shook her head. "No. You mean so much more to me than this house. I couldn't watch you wither away because of a house. We can move somewhere new. Somewhere with better security. I don't care where I am. As long as I have you, I'll be as happy as ever."

JJ looked thoughtful for a moment. "You're absolutely sure?"

"Jennifer, if there's one thing I learned from you, it's that love is so much more valuable than material things." Emily said softly.

"Okay. I love you, but I can't stay here." JJ admitted.

"Than it's done. We'll start looking as soon as we can. Let's get some stuff and get out of here. A relaxing night with the kids would be amazing."

"Let's get moving then." JJ set herself in motion, collecting various things from the room.

"You're parents should be here soon. I've set them up in the same hotel as us."

JJ spun to look at her wife, "You called my parents?"

"Of course. As soon as I could, they were my first call. They won't be in until tomorrow. That way we can have a night with the kids." Emily informed.

Emily and JJ made their way into the large suite. It had three rooms and plenty of space until the family could find a new house. Emily ordered JJ to stay in bed and let her body heal. As Emily was settling in for the night, she checked on Benjamin who was sleeping soundly in his portable crib in their room of the suite. Just as she was about to crawl into bed, she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." She answered. Lola peeked her head in and smiled before looking down to her feet. "You want to sleep with us?" Emily asked.

Lola nodded, "yes please." She whispered.

"Me too?" Ellie asked, popping up behind her sister.

"And me?" Henry asked also popping up.

"Of course. This bed is huge." JJ said, surprising everyone, who thought she was asleep.

Lola cuddled by JJ, Ellie in the middle, and Henry tucked closely to Emily. "Can you sing?" Henry asked the brunette.

Emily sang softly, falling asleep halfway through the song. JJ slept soundly through the night, partly from exhaustion, partly from the comfort of her kids. Either way, she was grateful for small mercies.

**A/N: So y'all may have noticed I skipped the juicy part of that storyline. I did that because y'all probably already know what happened and I didn't want to have to describe that. That whole episode was one of the most heart-wrenching ones and I didn't want to have re-open that wound. Hope y'all enjoyed it regardless!**


	37. Chapter 37

Emily and JJ had spent the last week trying to find a new house. But, between trying to keep the kids on a schedule, Ellie having her fifth birthday party, and Ben finally learning to crawl and thus getting into anything he could, they haven't had a chance to look at any of the houses they liked online. Today was the last day the Jareau's would be here and thankfully they agreed to take the kids out. Lola insisted on coming with her moms, having been very attached since the kidnapping.

"Are you two ready yet?" Emily asked.

"Almost done!" Lola called.

"Be right there!" JJ affirmed.

Emily huffed and checked her watch. When her wife and daughter finally came out, she practically pushed them out the hotel door. She was tired of being in a hotel suite with all four of her kids. So, she was eager to find the perfect home.

The first three were a bust. They needed a large home, ready to move in. The first and third needed updates, and the second was still being occupied by it's current owners. As they pulled into the gated community, Emily immediately spotted the camera's that littered the whole neighbor hood. There was two guards posted at the entrance, and then a small building nearby, one Emily assumed was a security building. They followed the real estate agent to a house near the end of the community.

The Prentiss' got out of their car and met the woman outside the massive house. It was by far the largest in the community. The front was landscaped beautifully and had large windows covering the front of the house. It had a gray stucco exterior with grayish stone work accenting it beautifully. There was a four-car garage and a large driveway.

"Let's head in." The real estate agent said smiling. They walked up from the sidewalk and to the front via the stonework path that cut through the large yard. The agent opened up the house and led the three ladies in. They stepped into a foyer with white marble floors. It foyer opened up into the second floor. The stairs were near the front door. "To the left are the main living areas, and to the right is a flex living space and a flex room perfect for an office." She said. "Let's look at the main rooms first." She said, guiding them into the large home. The floors were this really pretty gray tinted hard wood. The living room was large and the main floor was open concept. Emily could see into the kitchen and connected dining room. It had a large fireplace in the center of the room. The kitchen had the same marble flooring and counter top as the foyer. A large pantry separated the kitchen from the living room. There was a geometric tile back splash on the wall with the fridge and stove and an island separated the kitchen from the dining area, which had the same hard wood floors as the rest of the house. There was a small bathroom under the stairs and a small storage room right by it. The office had two sets of French doors, one that led through the dining room, and one that led to the other living space. The office also had built in shelves all around the room. Perfect for pictures and Emily's huge book collection. There was a large sliding glass door that between the kitchen and dining room that went out to the back yard.

The next place they went was upstairs. The stairs themselves were artfully crafted. They were crafted of the same wood as the rest of the house, and the railing was sturdy and hand-carved. There were four rooms upstairs and two bathrooms. One was in the master suite, and they other was located centrally in between the other rooms. Each room had a large closet and soft white carpet. One thing Emily especially loved was a patio right outside the master bedroom through french doors.. It over looked the whole backyard and had a spiral staircase down. Emily loved the idea of watching the sun set with her wife as they looked out into the dark night. Other than that, the upstairs was pretty standard so they made their way through it quickly

Their next viewing was the basement. It was large and, like the rest of the house, had bright recessed lighting all throughout. There was another living room, a flex room that Emily thought would make a cool game room, and three bedrooms. Like the upstairs it had two bathrooms. One in the 'master' and one between the other rooms. One was basically another master bedroom and Emily thought it could make a good room for Lola, who agreed quickly to the idea. The whole basement hand windows that peeked out from the ground outside. There was also a small laundry room.

Their final stop was the outside. Like their old house, it had a large backyard, something that came as a perk for the last house in the neighborhood. It backed into a forest area, but had plenty of room before that. There wasn't enough room for horses, so Emily would have to figure out what to do with them. But, it had some other impressive features. It had a built in jungle gym, a covered cement patio that stepped down into a smaller cement feature with a fire pit. There was also a large pool house. It had a retractable roof like their old home, bathrooms, a hot tub, and lounging space. But, unlike their old one, it had another area of importance. There was a small gym on an upper level above the bathrooms. It even had a punching bag and would be perfect for Emily and JJ to keep in shape.

The agent led the family back into the house again. She stopped at a cupboard in the kitchen. "I know you have some concerns about safety, but I think this will help make this place feel like home." She said as she opened it. There were four monitors inside the cabinet and she grabbed a small tablet. "This house is fully equipped with a private security system ran through a Private Security network. This controls everything. The houses temperature, the live video footage from around the property, and even things like this." She said smiling before large dark shades covered the large windows automatically. Emily was a sucker for cool new technology.

"What do you think Jen?" The brunette asked her wife.

"I love this house. It's perfect, safe, and homey." The blond smiled.

Lola nodded along in agreement. Emily also loved the house so she looked to the agent, "We'll take it. Draw up the paperwork as soon as you can."

"There's been a couple other bids for this house so I'll have to get together with the seller."

Emily rolled her eyes, "We don't have time for this shit. I'm living with four kids in a hotel room. Call the buyer right now and tell them you have an all cash offer ten thousand above asking price. See how many other bids you have then."

The agent nodded and stepped out to make a call.

"Emily, you just bought office space for your company and we still want money to buy that cabin you promised me." JJ scolded.

Emily had bought office space for a change of pace everyday. She had a lot of employees that worked from home most days, so she asked they work in the new office with her. She also added a daycare for employee's kids in the renovations. She offered free childcare to her workers and a spot for her own children to come after school. "Jennifer, trust me. I used business funds for the office and we can still afford a regular payment on a cabin." Emily soothed.

The agent came back and her and Emily made an appointment to sign paperwork. The family grabbed some lunch before heading back to the hotel.

After the paperwork was signed, the deed handed over, Emily and JJ took the kids over to the house one weekend to check out their new home. They all checked out the rooms assigned to them, and Emily kept an eye on the now crawling Ben as he explored the main floor.

"Momma!" Henry called from the top of the stairs. When Emily appeared at the bottom and looked at him, he gave his best smile. "Can I have bunk-beds?"

"Bunk-beds? Why?" Emily teased.

"So I can have sleepovers!" He jumped excitedly.

"Sure, buddy. You can have bunk-beds." Emily assured.

"Can I have a princess bed?" Ellie asked, suddenly popping up.

"What's a princess bed?"

The now five-year-old rolled her eyes, "You know! With the flowy sheet over it!" She explained.

"Oh! A canopy. Sure. Whatever you guys want." Emily laughed, catching Benny from trying to crawl up the stairs. She reminded herself to buy some baby gates.

After Lola and JJ put in their own requests for new furniture, Emily had her wife make a list before the family left their new home. Ellie and Lola had asked for a newly painted room, as opposed to the sterile white the house came with. Ellie wanted a pink accent wall, and Lola wanted a soft blue wall with a geometric pattern. Emily agreed and wrote down a reminder to call someone in for that.

Today was moving day. Emily enlisted the help of anyone who agreed. Rebecca and her family, including her husband, agreed. Her husband got along well with the rest of the FBI agents. The day was spent setting up furniture. The rest Emily could unpack throughout the following days. The good news was that the new house was centrally located, closer to Henry and Ellie's school, closer to Lola's school, and closer to JJ's work and the office space Emily got. It really was in the perfect location.

As they day winded down, Emily bought the promised pizza and beers for anyone who helped.

Emily spent the rest of the week putting together the house, except Lola's room. The teen had insisted on doing it herself. The down stairs guest rooms had a queen bed in one, and Henry and Ellie's old twin beds in the other. The house was finally put together, and with baby gates at the base of each set of stairs, Emily would let Benjamin crawl around as she worked. Her mother informed her that once the old house was repaired, she would allow Gabbie, Aria, and Sophia stay in it. That way, Graiden and his family still had a secure place to live and work. Graiden also agreed to help Emily keep her new pool and lawn maintained. The horses would be allowed to stay at the old house, so Henry could still learn to ride. A few technicians came by during one day to mount the TV's in the two living rooms and the upstairs master bedroom. Emily sat in the downstairs flex room and wondered what to do with it. It was a large room, and finally she decided. She would add a bar and games. She got her hands on some old school video games. Air hockey, pool, darts, and foosball were all added to the list of things the room would need. All in all, the house was coming together really well. The kids enjoyed playing outside in the warm spring afternoon after school.

Life was falling back into place. JJ had nightmares occasionally, but Emily was always there to talk with her, or simply hold her. They subsided with time. And life at the new house became smooth. When Emily brought the dogs from the other house, and picked up Sergio from Penelope's, all the animals were so grateful to see their people again. The dogs cried when Lola saw them for the first time in nearly three weeks, and Sergio ignored all the loud noises to cuddle up with his favorite kid: Benjamin. Benny held tightly to the cats fur as he pulled the cat into an awkward hug. Sergio was unphased by the encounter, simply nudging his head against the babies and purring. Emily loved to see how much the cat loved the baby.

One night, Emily was laying in bed with JJ, scrolling through something on her laptop. "Jen?" She asked her wife.

"Hmm?" The blonde hummed.

"I think I found the perfect cabin." Emily said. She showed to screen to her wife. It was a large cabin with three bedrooms. It was tasteful and rustic. Vaulted ceilings in the living room, a classic log cabin exterior, and a large fireplace. It was crisp and white on the interior, stripped wood accents adorned the farmhouse style cabin beautifully. The online posting had pictures of the dock right off the back of the house and a map of the large private property. "I know Smith Mountain lake is further away than you wanted, but look! It's beautiful!" Emily exclaimed, "We can get all the fun toys too! ATV's, a boat, jet skis! I've always wanted to learn how to water ski!"

"I think it looks perfect baby. A wonderful vacation home." JJ agreed, smiling at her wife's enthusiasm.

"Speaking of vacations, while we get this place furnished, I was thinking maybe we can take a trip to DisneyWorld?"

"Emily, that would be so hard with four kids, most of which will be too small for most rides and stuff."

"I know. I know. But after the year we've had, I think we can use it. We can switch off with Ben on all the big rides. One can stay with him and the others, while one rides with Lola and vice versa. Come on, it'll be so fun!" Emily whined.

JJ laughed at her wife's enthusiasm for the trip, and the fact that this adult woman was whining over a trip to DisneyWorld. "Okay, okay. In the summer we can go. But you have to handle all the travel." JJ agreed.

"Deal." Emily said quickly. She pecked a sweet kiss on her wife's lips. "Let's go to bed."

JJ and Emily cuddled together as the fell asleep, the stress of a their lives melting away in the company of each other. As it always did.


	38. Chapter 38

JJ was putting a bag for the kids together before they left. It was Lola's first home game of the soccer season and the blond was over the moon to be home from a case for it. She was packing snacks for the younger kids, blankets, extra jackets, and tablets if Henry and Ellie got bored. JJ knew Henry would be enthralled and Ellie would be the one to get bored. Regardless, she packed both tablets. She had extended the invitation to watch to anyone who would listen.

"Emily? Are the kids ready?" The blonde asked as she finished shoving the last thing in the bag.

"Whenever you are." She said, surprising Jennifer from sitting on the steps.

JJ whipped around and saw her whole family staring at her, all matching outfits. They were all wearing the same shirt, for Ben, a onesie. It was a team shirt for Lola's team. "Where did you get those?" JJ asked smiling.

"I ordered them when we ordered Lola's team gear. Here." She said said, tossing another dark green shirt to her wife.

JJ held up in front of her and spotted the name on the back, "Lola's Mom." She muttered out-loud.

Emily turned around, followed by the kids. "Lola's Momma, Lola's Brother, Lola's Sister" Each one had the described family tie on the back of their gear.

"Are you ready?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, where's the soccer star herself?" The family had started calling her that after she made varsity. Well, she didn't initially, but when a varsity player tore her ACL, Lola was the first to take her spot on the team. The teen had been working out every day before school to make sure she had enough skills to claim her spot.

Lola came running up from the basement, "I'm right here. Let's go. I can't miss warm ups." She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked at her family. "You guys cannot seriously be wearing that."

"Oh hell yeah we are. And we're going to be screaming the loudest." Emily smirked. The schools colors were green, black, and white. So, naturally, they all had a streak of black war paint under their eyes.

Ellie had her hair up in pigtail buns held together with large black sparkly bows. "Look, Lola! Make up!" She pointed to her face.

"Awesome, bug." She smiled at her sister, "Now let's go. We don't have time to argue over you changing." The teen called as she disappeared out the door.

JJ pulled her new shirt over her tank top before helping Emily get all the kids and their stuff into the car.

The Prentiss' arrived in just enough time for Lola to make the team warm-ups, though Emily knew she already did her own. It was a warm Saturday evening and the family found somewhere to sit quickly. The BAU found their way next to JJ, all wearing matching shirts.

"She's going to hate you for this." JJ laughed as she saw the shirts, all with their own title.

Emily laughed, "I know. But other parents will be so jealous."

All their shirts had either an "Aunt" or "Uncle" title on it. Even Dave and Hotch. Jack sported a "Cousin" title. Emily parents came, their names plastered on the back too. The last to arrive, right as the game was about to start, was Sophia, Gabbie, and little Aria. Also wearing shirts. Over all there were seventeen matching people cheering for Lola.

Throughout the game, Jen and Henry made their way to the front of the bleachers to watch more thoroughly. JJ being the only one who was severely invested. The rest of the kids migrated between the other friends and family that came to watch. At one point, Jack, who loved his small time soccer team, joined JJ and Henry.

By the end of the game, Lola's team won 6-2, Lola herself scoring 3 of those shots. Each time her team scored, the large group cheered, but when Lola scored, they went wild. After the celebratory group huddle at the end of the game, Lola grabbed her bag of gear and found her family. Which wasn't hard at all.

She greeted them, "You guys look ridiculous." She said, laughter on the tip of her tongue.

"Sure, but you looked amazing out there." Derek responded, still holding Eloise on his strong shoulders.

"I agree." Emily piped up, "Dinner at our place?"

She got rounds of affirmatives before the group split up to their own cars to meet back at the new Prentiss house. There hadn't been time for a housewarming party, so Emily thought this would be the best time for a get together.

When the Prentiss family arrived home, Emily checked with the chef she hired. She had let him in to work earlier before they left. He was just finishing the last item. Lola went to shower and change before dinner. When she got back to the main floor, the guests had all arrived. The kids were playing in the playroom, which ended up being the second living space. The adults were mingling around the house. Emily had started a huge fire in the fire pit, smiling every time she added more fuel to the fire.

JJ appeared behind her wife, wrapping her arms around Emily, "I think you have a touch of pyromania." JJ teased.

Emily laughed and turned into the blonde's arms. "If I had pyromania, I wouldn't be able to control it. I just enjoy the fire while its in the fire pit."

JJ laughed and sighed as she hugged her wife tighter, "Do you miss it?" She asked quietly.

"Miss what?"

"The BAU." JJ stated as she looked up into her wife's eyes.

Emily thought for a moment, "I miss the thrill, I miss the mental stimulation. But I don't miss the danger, I don't miss being able to be with my kids every night. I don't miss always being here for you. So no, I don't think I miss the BAU and all it's long crazy hours."

"Good." JJ said as she cuddled back into her wife. "Oh, they sent me out here to tell you to come back in so we can eat."

Emily laughed and pushed away from her wife, grabbing her hand before walking inside together. They ate at the large table as one big family. All teasing and laughing each other. Right now, they were teasing Lola about how much she worked out, and therefore ate to gain her strength back.

"You guys don't understand." Emily started, "She works out like three times a day, and has to refill that somehow." Emily defended. "But I have to go grocery shopping twice a week to keep the house stocked for her pre and post workout meals. And then also the regular meals, snacks, and to feed the rest of us." Emily joined in the teasing.

Lola was taking it well, laughing along with the group, "At least I eat that much and you don't have to worry about an underlying disorder. I just have a fast metabolism. Even if I didn't work out, calories burn right through me."

"God, I wish." Tara joked.

After dinner, Emily showed the group the now put together game room. Derek and Spencer immediately found the room exciting. Dave rummaged through the bar in the room, criticizing the alcohol choices. Jack and Henry came down from his room.

"Momma! Can Jack spend the night? That's what we got the bunk-beds for!" He practically yelled.

"Sure, make sure Jack's dad says yes too." Emily answered as she finished putting away the left overs.

"We already did. He said to ask you." Jack spoke.

Aaron looked up from his spot in the living room, giving her a knowing look. Emily smiled at the boys, nodding slightly for Hotch. "Sure. A sleep over sounds like an amazing idea."

Emily found Penelope sitting with Benjamin and Ellie in the playroom. Sergio was, as usual, as close to the baby as possible. When Emily came in, she wanted to get Benjamin ready for bed. Instead she got a surprise when she found him.

The baby sat up and pointed to 'his' kitty. "Gio!" He squeaked.

Emily stopped dead in her tracks. His first word was his cat? Not her or Jen. When she got over the offense, she scooped him up. "Yay! First word!" Emily bounced him. She tickled him and earned his tiny giggle. "You want to go show Mommy?" She asked as she turned to walk out. "Pen, bring the cat!" Emily ordered before finding Jennifer.

"Baby, he's done it! It took seven months, but he said his first word!" Emily beamed as she found her wife.

The blonde turned on her heal, "What?"

"Benny, who's this?" Emily asked, scratching the cat their friend was holding.

"Gio!" He answered immediately.

JJ got excited and Tara looked confused, "His first word is the cat?" The dark woman asked.

"He's a baby and you don't get to judge him for that." Emily defended jokingly.

Tara left the family to rejoice and found Lola and Sophia surrounding the fire. She sat next to them and quickly picked up on the conversation.

"No, I'm telling you. You're mom will freak out." Sophia said.

"She won't we've already had 'the talk'." Lola assured.

"Talking and acting are to very different things." Sophia advised.

"Oooh, is Lola getting serious with that boy?" Tara said, surprising the pair who hadn't noticed she had joined them.

"Oh god! Tara! How much did you hear?" Lola asked.

"Enough. What's going on? I can maybe advise some." Tara offered.

Lola sighed, "Ollie and I have been dating in secret for six months. Any chance I get I try to see him. I'm thinking about… you know."

Tara sat back in her chair and thought for a moment, "I know your moms. They try to be as laid back and progressive as they can be, but I don't know. You're not even fifteen yet."

"That's what I said." Sophia piped up.

"I just want to. I don't know why. I don't think I should want to. I mean it's only been like a year and a half since..." The teen trailed off. The others knew what she was talking about.

"Do you want to know why?" Tara asked softly.

"What?"

"I can tell you why you want to so soon. I've spent my life studying psychology." Tara said quietly. Not sure if Emily and JJ would appreciate what she's about to do.

"You can?" Lola asked. The three sat quietly while the teen thought it over. She looked to Sophia, "Can I talk about this with Tara privately?" When the woman nodded and left, kissing the top of Lola's head, the teen turned back to Tara. "Tell me."

"Keep in mind, I haven't ever treated you, so this is just a common reaction. Okay? I don't come over to psycho-analyze you. I promise." Tara said cautiosly.

Lola chuckled, "I know. I just want to understand some. I haven't talked to my therapist about this. It seems to… private."

Tara laughed at the irony, "You haven't talked to your trauma therapist about something relating to your trauma?"

Lola looked away embarrassed. "Will you just tell me?"

Tara softened. "I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at the irony. It's your process, you can do whatever feels right for you." There was a pause in the conversation, Lola was waiting for her friend to explain what she meant. Tara took the cue and sighed, "From a young age, you experienced sexual abuse by someone who was supposed to love and care for you. As your mind grew, you equated intimacy with love. That's why you want to have sex with your boyfriend. But that's exactly why you shouldn't. You should tell him you love him. But you should have sex because you want to. Because it feels right. Not because you think it means everything in a relationship. It doesn't. How you act and what you say is the only thing that matters in that situation. Sex is just a primal act, but as humans, we've evolved past that. We can use words and actions to express so much more than carnal attraction. You understand?"

Lola nodded, "I understand. I'm just too damaged for real love." She spit angrily before stomping off into the house.

"Lola! Wait!" She called after the teen as she stood to follow.

"What did you say to her?" JJ asked angrily, seeing the scene unfold.

Tara stopped, "We were talking in confidence and to not betray that confidence, I have to fix it." Before she took anymore scrutiny, she followed the teen into the basement. She knocked lightly on the door that said "Lola" on a cute chalkboard that hung on the door. "Lola. It's Tara. Can I come in? Please?" Tara heard the click of the lock on the door and opened it after a few seconds. She walked in and saw the girl cuddled with two fluffy dogs in her bed. Tara took a seat on the edge of the bed. "I didn't mean to upset you." She said quietly.

"I know." Lola whispered back. "Did you tell my moms what happened?"

"No. And I won't. Ever. That's up to you." There was a pause, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lola sighed, her body hiccuping into a sob, "I don't want to be broken forever. I just want to do normal teen things. I want have sex and be rebellious sometimes."

Tara shifted on the bed so she too was laying down, "You're not broken. You just have to retrain your brain from what's been ingrained on it. Like how you train your body for soccer. What do you do? You run the same drills over and over until it's a natural instinct in you. It's the same for your brain. You have to retrain your thought process by giving it new patterns to practice over and over until it breaks the old ones. It's okay to have to take some time to figure that out."

"I'm not broken?" Lola asked.

"Not broken or damaged. You just need some time." Tara confirmed.

"Time. I can do time." She nodded to herself. She chuckled, "You know my moms are trying to listen in right?"

"I know. That's why I never explicitly expressed what we were talking about."

Lola sat up, wiping her tears, "Okay. I'm good now. Let's go back out. Nova, Luna, stay." The teen order before she opened her bedroom door, Emily and JJ tripping over each other into the room.

"We just came to tell you-" Emily started only to be cut off by Lola.

"Cut the shit, for special agents, you two are really bad at discretion." Lola joked as she pushed past them.

Tara laughed and stood off Lola's bed. "She right. Get anything juicy?"

Emily shot her friend a glare, "What was that about anyway?"

"Nothing, I just accidentally upset her. You know how I get. Sometimes I speak without thinking. It's all good now though." Tara finished, also pushing past the pair.

"Why did we have to get the house with such thick walls?" JJ joked.

"So that we could do very dirty and very loud things." Emily deadpanned.

JJ laughed and slapped her wife's upper arm lightly. "Behave. We still have guests here."

"I think my mom's said that to me a couple times at parties too." Emily joked.

JJ and Emily went back upstairs, laughter still in their voices as they teased each other.


	39. Chapter 39

Lola came in with her friends close behind. It was Friday and since the team didn't have a game this weekend, her coach let the team have a day off practice. "Mom!" Lola called from the foyer as she dropped her bag messily. "I'm home." Lola made her way to the office and peeked in. Emily was focusing on her laptop. "Mom." Lola said.

Emily jumped slightly and looked to her daughter. She slipped her glasses off her tired eyes. "Hey." Emily said before yawning.

Lola took Ben out of his bouncer in the office, making him giggle as she peppered kisses on him. "Where's Henry and Ellie?"

"Grandma and Papa has them. I guess with Sophia and Gabbie in Italy for the week, they didn't have anyone to fawn over. They took them to the museum or something." Emily answered, yawning again.

"What's wrong?" Lola asked. Emily never looked this tired before.

Emily waved her hand to brush it off, "Ben just wouldn't let me sleep last night. I stayed up with him because I thought I could squeeze a nap in, but he hasn't let me do that either."

"Why don't I watch him for a bit?" Lola offered.

Emily peered through the office doors and spotted the teen's friends in the kitchen, raiding it for snacks. "No. You're friends are here. You shouldn't have to watch him." The tired woman insisted.

"Mom." Lola stated firmly. "Just go take a nap."

Emily was about to resist again when she yawned again. She felt the exhaustion making her body heavy and nodded. "Just a few hours." She agreed.

Emily climbed the stairs and trudged into her room. Once she made it there, she fell into bed, not bothering to change out of her jeans and sweater. As soon as she hit the pillow, she was out. It felt like as soon as she fell asleep, she was being woken up again. She could here Ben fussing and Lola's voice.

"Mom. Mom wake up. Ben hasn't stopped crying since you went to bed." Lola's voice sounded desperate to make the noise stop.

Emily rolled over to look at Lola. She opened her eyes and reached out for the baby. As soon as Lola handed him over, he soothed. Emily knew all the parenting books said not to co-sleep with your baby, but she was so tired she didn't care. She put the baby in the middle of the bed and put JJ's pillows on the other side. Soon, both were asleep. That's how they stayed until JJ came home for the day.

"Emily. Baby. You have to get up or you won't sleep tonight." The blond prodded.

"I'm so tired." Emily grumbled back. "He won't let me sleep tonight anyway."

"You don't know that. Come on. We should wake him up too. Maybe if we can get him really tired before bed, he'll go down easy." Emily didn't respond as she crawled out of her soft, warm bed. She made her way to their bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. She came back out as JJ was still waking the baby. The blond had her cheek pressed against his forehead as she bounced him. "Em, he feels warm. Do you know where that thermometer pacifier thing is?" JJ asked.

"Uh… it's in the baby first aid kit in his changing table."

JJ left the room and Emily followed. JJ held him as she gave him the thermometer and bounced him. When it read 101.7 as his temperature, JJ knew what was going on. "Babe, no wonder he's been so fussy. He's sick and just wants you to hold him." JJ laughed a little and noticed Emily's own complexion looking paler than normal. "Hey, come here for a second." JJ said. As soon as her wife was close enough, the blond pressed the inside of her wrist to Emily's forehead. "And whatever it is, you got it too." Emily groaned unhappily in response. "Why don't you go change into some pajamas. I'll change him and you two can go lay back down. Turn some TV on and relax. I'll take care of dinner and the little ones." JJ said as she waved her wife off.

"You should probably watch Lola. She spent a few hours with Ben this afternoon." Emily grumbled before walking off.

After an hour of watching shit TV in bed, JJ came back upstairs. "I made you soup. And a bottle for Benny. He needs this hydration more than baby food." JJ set the tray down on the side table by Emily. She grabbed the baby bottle off it and climbed in her side of the bed. She picked the baby up, he fussed at first but soothed as he got his bottle. Emily ate her soup and drank the water JJ also brought. Ben was fully asleep before he had even finished his bottle. JJ looked at her wife. Emily's eyes were drooping as she tried to watch TV. "Why don't you guys tuck in for the night?"

Emily shook her head, "No. I should take him to the guest room so we don't get you sick too."

"No, baby. If you're worried about that, I can take the guest room. Or I can bunk with Henry." JJ joked.

Emily pouted, "But I don't want to sleep away from you." She whined.

"You don't have to." JJ laughed, sick Emily was so cute. "I am okay risking it tonight. And let's be honest, if it's super contagious, I've already got it."

"Yeah. I guess." Emily agreed, settling further into bed.

JJ set Ben down by her again and kissed her wife's forehead. "After Henry and Ellie get to bed I'll come in. I'll also tell Lola she's probably going to get sick. I love you. Sleep well."

Emily nodded and curled herself around Ben. She played with the fuzzy bear on the front of his sleeper and fell asleep.

As she drifted off, Emily reflected upon the life she had. A few years ago, this would have never been the life she had imagined. She thought she would be single and lonely. The life she had now, the one with a loving wife, beautiful children, and a huge loving family, was a life she wouldn't trade for the world. She smiled as she fell into a deep sleep. Yes, this life was not one she imagined, but sometimes, the greatest gifts are the ones you never expected.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: So this is the end of this story, I figured it was time. No need to worry, I will be writing a follow up fic. I'm thinking it will be called "Prentiss Family Values: All Grown Up." So, look out for that. It'll be set in modern times (2020), delving into modern problems. **

**Epilogue: **

Lola pulled her new Jeep Wrangler into the driveway in her usual fashion: fast enough for Emily and JJ to worry about her future driving skills. It was the teens senior year of high school, and nearly the end of the year. Emily was out waiting for Henry and Ellie at the bus stop. Henry was in 4th grade, Ellie in 1st, and Emily and JJ had been lucky enough to get them both in the same school. JJ was at home with Ben, a rambunctious two year old, who spent his days wreaking as much havoc as he could.

JJ unlocked the front door and let Ben out to greet his favorite person. Lola picked him up as soon as she stepped out of her car. Lola tickled and kissed the boy. He had grown into a cute little boy. He had dark brown, curly hair, a button nose, and his big eyes hadn't changed from the beautiful grey color he was born with.

"You got mail today." JJ sing-songed excitedly.

Lola perked up, "From Yale?" She asked as she carried her backpack in.

"Yep." JJ answered as she wrangled the toddler inside.

"Should we wait for Momma?" The teen asked. She would be turning 17 in May, and JJ thought that far to soon for her oldest daughter to move to Connecticut.

"Well, it is her Alma Mater and you're first choice. She should be back with the kids soon."

"Mommy!" Benjamin, who hadn't stopped talking since he first squealed Sergio's name, "I'm hungry."

JJ was pulled away from her conversation with her oldest, "What do you want, sweetie?"

"Uhmmmm..." The toddler dragged on as he thought, "Cake!" He decided.

"Baby, we don't have cake, and if we did, you couldn't have any. How about some apple sauce?" JJ offered instead.

"Okay!" JJ grabbed a squeezy packet of strawberry apple sauce and handed it to Ben before she sat with Lola in the living room.

"I think I'll wait for Momma to get home, that way she can find out as soon as I do." Lola decided.

As if on cue, the rest of the family got home. "And then we rode bikes in gym class. Momma, can I have a bike? I want to learn to ride." Ellie, who's long blonde hair had darkened slightly and been cut to just above her shoulders. She had developed a collection of freckles over her nose and cheeks.

"We can get you a new bike for you to learn. You haven't had one since your tricycle. I think that can be arranged." Emily smiled as she let the two blonde's inside, being quick enough to catch Ben from slipping out the front door.

Emily kissed Lola's forehead, then kissed her wife, "Hi baby."

"Hey, Lola got mail today." JJ smiled as she informed her wife.

"From Yale?" Emily asked in the same manner the teen had earlier.

JJ laughed at the similarity and nodded her head.

"Well, open it!" Emily ordered, probably more excited than Lola.

"Okay, okay." Lola laughed as she tore open the envelope. She read it and frowned. Emily and JJ's heart sunk. Then a bright smile replaced the frown, "I got in!" Lola squealed.

Emily and JJ leapt off the couch, jumping around in celebration. Ellie and Ben, not knowing why they were celebrating, joined in. JJ's work phone rang, and the blonde rolled her eyes as she answered it. When she hung up, Emily already recognized the look on her face.

"Case?" The brunette asked.

"Yeah, we've got to go in. We'll celebrate after we get back." After Hotch and Morgan retired, JJ was appointed as Unit Chief. That made the long hours longer, but Emily was so proud of her wife. Hotch and Jack were still in Virginia, Derek and Savannah moved to Boston, but Derek still kept in touch. "I'll try to wrap it up quickly. The new guys, Alvez and Simmons seem pretty great at this. Hopefully this will be the opportunity they need to prove their stuff. I'll see you when I get home."

"Okay. I love you." Emily kissed JJ, "Kids, say bye to Mommy."

Each kid took turns hugging JJ and saying goodbye.

"Eloise Rosalyn Prentiss! Get your ass back to bed!" Emily yelled as she caught a glimpse of pink flash by the bathroom door as she bathed Ben. Usually, Ellie was allowed to stay up until 9:30, but after a little too much attitude for Emily's liking at dinner, she was ordered to bed by 8:00. She didn't have to sleep, but she wasn't allowed her tablet. She could read her books, but anything really fun was off limits.

"I'm thirsty!" She sassed back.

"You have two water bottles in the room you refuse to clean! Now go back to bed!" Emily yelled.

"Stop yelling!" Henry screamed down the hall from his room, "Some of us are trying to do homework!"

Emily rolled her eyes, and tried to quickly finished Ben's bath without incident. She didn't make it. As soon as Ben was out of the water, Emily trying to dry him, he booked it out of the bathroom. "Benjamin Morgan! Get back here!" Emily chased him down the hall, catching him when he turned to slip past her. She quickly tucked him in his pull up and his pajamas. She carried him to his room, tucking him into bed. She skipped his book, knowing it would only make him more excited, and sang him the lullaby that had made him fall asleep instantly since he was a baby. She shut his door quietly behind her as she snuck out of the room.

She made her way to Ellie's room, who was pouting on her bed when Emily popped her head in. "Don't give me that look." Emily warned.

Ellie softened her face, "Can you braid my hair?" She asked quietly.

Emily smiled, "Sure." Ever since they got Eloise, Emily had been practicing hair styles until she was fluent in impressive braids and up-dos. Emily grabbed Ellie's hairbrush off her dresser and sat behind her on the bed. She made quick work of the double french braids. "All done." Emily said softly and climbed off the bed. "But it's time for lights out." Emily tucked in her youngest daughter and kissed her head as she finished. "I love you, goodnight."

"Goodnight Momma."

Emily made her way to her final stop upstairs, "Hey Henry." She smiled at the blonde boy, who returned the sentiment.

"Hi Momma."

"Did you get your homework done?"

"Yeah, we have a times table test tomorrow and I wanted to get my time under the test time. If we get all of them right, we get a free trip to the school store." The boy beamed. Ever since his first struggles in math, he had found new ways to understand the subject. His determination and positive attitude to any struggles inspired Emily.

"That's awesome bud. Get to bed soon, okay?"

"Okay, love you."

"I love you too." Emily answered, kissing his forehead before she left.

She made her way down to the kitchen, opening a bottle of wine for herself to decompress from the stressful bedtime routine.

"Drinking already?" Emily smiled at the voice of her daughter behind her.

The brunette turned to face Lola, "Of course. Have you tried to give Ben a bath recently? He thinks being naked is the best thing in the world and doesn't want to ever wear clothes again."

Lola laughed as she came all the way up the stairs, letting Luna and Nova out the back door. "Yeah, he needs to learn some decency." She joked as she sat at the island with her mom.

"I am so proud of you." Emily said as soon as Lola sat down. "I know Jen had to run and I've been busy with your siblings since we found out, but you are so amazing and talented and I am so happy you wanted to go to Yale, let alone you being accepted… I just, could not ask for anything more for you."

"Ugh, don't get all mushy." Lola teased. "But thank you. I love you."

"I love you too. Now, have you decided what to major in?" Emily asked. Lola had made it to her senior year without figuring out what she wanted to do with her life.

"Yep. Pre-Law." Lola answered confidently.

"When did you decide that?"

"After last year. It was the first year I tried out Speech and Debate because Quinn kept bugging me about it. I just didn't want to decide right away. But after my state title in LD this year, and now being accepted into Yale, it just feels right."

"So, my daughter, the lawyer. Setting a pretty high bar for your siblings." Emily joked.

"They'll all be great no matter what the do. Besides, we don't get our trust funds until we have a graduate degree, so we all don't have a choice."

Emily laughed, "Damn right. Want to watch a movie with me?"

"Yeah, let me just get the dogs in while you pick a movie." Lola said, standing from her bar stool.

Emily went to the living room and found The Heat on the large smart TV in there.

"I love this movie!" Lola said as she sat down, the dogs cuddling close the her.

"I know." Emily smirked. The two stayed like that until Emily finally reached her tired breaking point. Excusing herself to bed.

It was August, Emily and JJ took the kids to help Lola get settled in her dorm at her college. JJ drove her Volvo with Ben, Ellie and Henry. The car had screens mounted in it, so it was easy to keep the kids happy. Emily drove Lola's Jeep with the teen in the passenger seat. The car was packed full of everything she'd need for a dorm room. Lola had to stay in the dorms for the first year, but Emily said that if she wanted, they could get the girl an apartment in New Haven. Emily pulled into the dorm hall that would be Lola's. The family planned to stay the night in a hotel, a 5 and a half hour drive was not something she could do twice in one day with a three year old. They would take a trip around campus, Emily pointing out all the places that meant the most to her.

JJ took the kids to get lunch while Emily helped Lola unpack. Along with tuition, which was decreased by Lola's soccer scholarship, Emily sprung for a private dorm room.

"Okay, last thing before Jen gets here." Emily said, handing over a neatly wrapped gift.

Lola opened it and blushed. It was a giant box of condoms. Lola groaned, "Mom..." She drawled.

"What? I'm not that dense. I just want you to be safe. Speaking of safety, no drinking and driving, and if you ever get into any trouble, call."

"I know. I know." Lola's phone beeped, "Mom is here with the kids. We should go meet them."

"Let's go."

The trip went well, Emily pushed Ben in the stroller as they walked around campus. Emily pointed out everything she could remember had a fun story. Emily even saw a few friends from college that had since become professors. One, an ex girlfriend, was one of Lola's law professors.

"Gina!" Emily said surprised. "I hope this doesn't make anything weird, my daughter in your class."

"Emily, you always did worry too much. Trust me, water under the bridge. You're daughter may even get special treatment. It's not like went ended badly, and if she's anything like you, she'll be extraordinary in my class." The woman smiled, "I have to run, but Lola, if you have any problems or concerns, I am also your advisor, so feel free to pop in for office hours or shoot me an email." Gina finished before she left.

"You slept with her?" Lola asked quietly. As she watched the beautiful professor walk away she whistled, "Way to go mom."

"Aaand that's enough of that." JJ interrupted. "Em, we have to leave soon if you want the kids to get to bed at a decent time."

Emily deflated, "I know, let's walk back to your dorm. We can say goodbye there."

The family did just that, Emily, JJ, and Ellie crying as they said their farewells. Henry didn't cry, but he also didn't want to let go.

As they made it back to the car, Ben had a meltdown. He kept asking for Lola, and no matter how many times they explained it, the toddler simply didn't understand the concept of Lola not coming home for a while. He cried for most of the trip back, finally tiring himself out after an hour. Ellie and Henry played on their tablets for the ride, and the car moved with a somber silence. Though the house was one member short, there was still a lot of love and laughter to follow. Emily and JJ called Lola whenever they could, and Lola carved out time in her weekend to Skype with the family, especially for the sake of Ben.

Life in the Prentiss household was different, but still, there was never a dull moment. JJ and Emily lived for the moments of happiness and laughter. They put extra love into the moments of sadness and loss. They were a family after all. What else could they do?

"_So much of what is best in us is bound up in our love of family, that it remains the measure of our stability because it measures our sense of loyalty." - Haniel Long._ Referenced in season 5, episode 9, "100."


End file.
